The Franklin County Bulldogs did more damage in the parking lot than on the scoreboard Wednesday.
North Pike (13-4, 9-0) beat the Bulldogs 4-1 to take sole possession of first place in District 7-3A, while Franklin County batters broke two windshields with foul balls.
Part of the problem for the Bulldogs on the field was Justin Badon on the mound, and the other was timing.
“We didn’t have the timely hits when we needed them,” Franklin County head coach Brent Calcote said. “They hit it and we didn’t, and that’s your run differential right there.”
The only time Badon faced more than three Bulldogs in an inning, it was because of errors in the field.
Badon struck out six and allowed one hit in seven innings of work. Franklin County’s lone run came off two errors in the fourth inning with two outs.
Badon also put North Pike up with a leadoff homer in the first inning. He took a 1-2 pitch over the left field fence for an early lead and breezed through the next two innings to put pressure on Franklin County.
“Hats off to Justin,” North Pike head coach George Lott said. “He pitched a great game and came through at the plate.”
Badon also was the first batter to face Jordan Hunt, after Franklin County’s starter Colton Laird was lifted with the bases loaded in the fourth.
Badon singled up the middle to drive in North Pike’s final two runs. Zach Fleming had driven in one earlier in the inning with a sacrifice fly after Dustin Moak had led off the inning with a double.
Defensive plays also kept the Jaguars ahead comfortably. First baseman Fleming made a diving catch on a DeHendret Collins’ liner to lead off the fourth. With Collins’ speed, the play saved at least three bases.
Cody Timmons also was tested at third quite a bit, making a play in every inning except the seventh and adding a single at the plate.
The win gives the Jaguars a leg up on the district title, but they travel to Meadville on Friday to finish off the series with Franklin County. The Bulldogs must win by four or more to earn the No. 1 seed.
The win for North Pike was also big because of the down time they’ve had heading into this series. The Jaguars have played two games in the past 17 days, both against Hazlehurst. Franklin County had three games canceled in that span because of weather.
“That was the big thing,” Lott said. “I wanted to see how we’d do after the layoff. The first three innings even our outs we hit hard. We were seeing the ball well for being off that long.”
