The Long County Blue Tide baseball team is rolling along in the 2025 season and is now 6-1 on the year after taking a 1-0 defensive battle against the Brantley County Herons to close out the month of February on Friday.
Defense and pitching were the names of the game for the Tide on the night as it started with Nick Sizemore getting a pickoff at first base for the second out of the first inning.
He allowed just a walk in the first inning as the Tide came up to bat in the bottom of the first. Sizemore singled and Kenny Pickens nearly brought him home with a double before setting up with runners on second and third with one out. However, the Tide could not take advantage of the runners in scoring position.
Sizemore allowed a hit but struck out three Heron batters in the second.
The Herons got two hits and a walk in the top of the third to load the bases, but the Tide worked their way out of the jam to keep the Herons off the board.
Luke Poppell opened the bottom of the third as he reached first on an error after bunting down the third base line.
Creighton Rogers couldn’t reach on his bunt, but moved Poppell to second. Sizemore moved Poppell to third on a sacrifice out as Pickens came up to the plate.
He smacked a single into right center to score the first run of the game as the Tide led 1-0 going into the fourth.
Pickens sat down a would-be runner at second base on a pickoff before Sizemore struck out two more to keep the Herons off the board.
Sizemore struck out two more in the fifth to end his night on the bump. The Herons came back up to bat in the top of the sixth as Anthony Bramwell took the mound. Bramwell seemed to have a vendetta against the Herons as he struck out three straight batters to keep the Herons off the board in the sixth.
It looked like the Tide would add some insurance in the bottom of the inning as Isaiah Miller singled before Bramwell came up to the plate. However, he grounded into a 5-6-3 double play to end the inning. He did not let this faze him, however, as he took the mound for the final inning.
Bramwell proceeded to strikeout two more batters before forcing the third of the inning into a fly out in left field as the Tide secured the victory.
After taking the save on the mound, Bramwell said it was a simple plan as he took the mound in the sixth.
“Just keeping your head high,” Bramwell said. “That’s all I can say. Just keep your head high, go in there and just…just shove.”
Bramwell got the save after a two-inning, five-strikeout showing. Sizemore got the win with five innings pitched, eight strikeouts, and just four hits.
The Tide are now 6-1 after their fifth straight win on the season. They played in the Swainsboro Diamond Day on Saturday, March 1 against Johnson County and Swainsboro.
They will be back in action Thursday, March 6 at McIntosh County Academy before welcoming in former region foe Savannah Country Day on Friday, March 7.