Love-ly shutout puts Bears in playoffs
By Anne Marie Kyzer annemariek@thetruecitizen.com

Staff - Anne Marie Kyzer Burke County's Brandon Love hurls a pitch across the plate. The senior tallied 13 strikeouts in the game.

Love prevailed in Burke County Friday night.

Burke County High School senior Brandon Love pitched a shutout to help the Bears beat Benedictine Military School and secure their spot in the playoffs for the first time in seven years.

The 1-0 win over the Cadets was the ultimate senior-night tribute, since a loss would have meant the end of high school baseball for the team's six seniors.

"It feels so good," an exhausted Love said after seven intense innings.

The Mercer recruit said his nerves nearly got the best of him as he hurled the last pitch of the game.

"I thought about all of the seniors we have here and what it would mean since we haven't been to the playoffs since 2001," Love said.

Despite the pressure, he threw a strike anyway.

His last strikeout was number 13 for the game. The Cadets only mustered two hits and didn't spend much time at the plate. Love never pitched to more than four batters in a single inning. He gave up two walks.

The lone Cadet to make it threaten the Bears in scoring position was eliminated when Love used one of the oldest tricks in the book to eliminate the runner in his attempt to steal third.

"He pitched phenomenally," head coach Sean Tiernan said of Love. "He gutted it out…It's hard to describe the kind of effort he puts forth."

At the plate, the Bears were only able to send one runner home, but it was all they needed.

Cody Bolden, 2-3, hit a double in the second inning and made it to third courtesy of Daniel Braswell. Then, Zach Eubanks brought Bolden home on a squeeze play.

Burke County's one-run win over the Cadets put them in a tie for third in the region, but tie-breaker rules favored the Bears, who allowed less runs in region play.

"They did a great job," Tiernan said. "The kids were all in the game and focused the entire time."

Seniors recognized before Friday's game included Daniel Braswell, Cody Bolden, Brandon Love, Tyler Hammett, Trent Hillis and Cole Thames.

The Bears were scheduled to play Cross Creek High School in south Augusta yesterday (Tuesday) at 5:30 p.m. A win would send them on to the state playoffs, but a loss sends them home for the year.