Page 2B THETHE NORTH NORTH GEORGIA GEORGIA NEWS NEWS February February 27, 201927, 2019 SportsSee the Sports Section at nganews.com Baseball: Opening week a wash out following losses at Commerce By Todd Forrest third and tagging up on a Scott Sports Editor sacrifice fly. [email protected] Still trailing 2-1 after five, Garrison entered in the sixth and worked around a pair COMMERCE - Union of walks to keep Union County County baseball opened 2019 within a run. Mullinak led off with a pair of losses at Com- the bottom of the sixth with a merce last Monday, Feb. 18 base on balls but was eventually before a wet weather pattern left stranded at second base. set it in and washed out the Garrison would freeze remainder of the Panthers’ the leadoff hitter with a called opening week. strike three to open the seventh The clouds are hopefully but three singles and an error giving way to sunshine, both stretched the Tiger lead to 3-1 literally and metaphorically, as and loaded the bases with one reinforcements are on the way down. Another strikeout was before the Panthers are slated to followed by an RBI walk be- hit the field Tuesday at Fannin fore Garrison retired the side County. with his third punchout of the With the Union County inning. basketball team reaching the The Panthers had some- postseason for the first time thing brewing in the seventh since 2016, first-year Panther when Kelley drew a five-pitch baseball coach Zach Odom walk and senior Jonathan Ever- traveled to Commerce last Union County first year head coach Zach Odom (center) prior to last ett reached on an error - bring- week with a somewhat depleted year’s game at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville. Photo/Todd Forrest ing the tying run to the plate pitching staff as returning right- sophomore Zeke Swartz was ine for Garrison, who took the with nobody out. handers Coleson Daniel and stranded following a one-out mound in the sixth and labored The Tigers would turn to Cayden Rich were less than 72 walk. through 45 pitches over two the bullpen to silence the rally hours removed from the hard- Mullinak worked his way innings, giving up three hits as a Mancuso sacrifice moved wood and unavailable to throw out of trouble in the bottom of and three walks while striking the runners up 90-feet but they on opening day. the fifth after giving up a two- out four. would both be left aboard after When it was all said and out walk followed by an infield Swartz escaped trouble consecutive fly outs ended the done Monday, it wasn’t the single. early on after he yielded a base game. lack of arms that stymied the The Panthers were retired hit and a double to lead off the Mancuso would finish Panthers, but an anemic of- in order in the sixth and seventh game. He would respond with 2-for-2 with a run and two fense that managed only five innings as Harkins survived a a pair of strikeouts before his stolen bases, McCombs went hits -- none for extra bases leadoff error and a two-out walk 1-0 offering was bounced to 1-for-3, Kelley and Mullinak -- during the doubleheader at in the Tiger half of the sixth. shortstop Alec Scott to end the each drew a pair of walks. The Commerce. Chase Bridges recorded inning. lone RBI belonged to Scott. Panthers 0, Commerce the win for Commerce, working Mullinak worked a one- Nate Ray picked up the 2 (Game 1) - Sophomore Issak five shutout innings and fanning out walk then stole second in win for Commerce in six in- Mullinak got the nod in game five. Tucker Maloch picked up the bottom of the first. With nings of work. Colby Rogers one and scattered five singles the save with two no-hit innings one down and runner in scor- replaced him with two on in over five innings of work while in relief. ing position, Harkins lined out the seventh and recorded three- allowing two earned runs with Mullinak added a stolen to short, doubling off Mullinak straight outs for the save. three strikeouts and a walk. base for Union County. with a flip to second. The Panthers would leave Senior Ean Harkins Panthers 1, Commerce After playing with fire in six runners on base while Com- spelled Mullinak after five 4 (Game 2) - The Tigers struck the first, Union County suffered merce stranded eight. and worked a scoreless sixth, for two in the second before self-inflicted wounds in the Looking ahead - Up next issuing one walk with one Union posted its first run of the second when three errors and for Union is a trip to Blue Ridge punchout. season in the third. Trailing 2-1 a walk resulted in two Tiger on Tuesday to face the rival At the dish, base hits by after six, Commerce tacked on runs. Swartz escaped without Rebels at 5 p.m. Mullinak and fellow sophomore two insurance runs in the top further damage when he picked The Panthers are sched- Austin Garrison along with a half of the seventh to sweep the off a runner breaking for home. uled to host Gilmer on either Matthew Kelley walk and a twin bill with a 4-1 victory. After applying the tag at the Wednesday or Thursday, but dropped third strike to Har- Swartz and Garrison were plate, catcher Alec Youngblood as of this writing, the coaches kins was all the offense Union the victims of four Panther er- fired to second to gun down the were still hammering out the County could muster through rors as the duo combined to runner from first. details. Region 8-AA play is the middle of the fourth frame. surrender four unearned runs A Hunter Kelley walk scheduled to get underway The Tigers would finally off five hits while fanning eight was the only Panther baser- Friday when the Panthers travel break open the scoreless tie and walking five. unner in the second but John to Banks County for a 5 p.m. with two in the bottom half of Swartz went five strong, Mancuso and Mason McCombs doubleheader. the fourth via two singles, a hit allowing just two hits and two began the third with consecu- (Union Co. stats are lo- batter and an RBI groundout. walks with four strikeouts. tive infield singles. Mancuso cated on page 3B.) In the Panther half of the fifth, Meanwhile, it was feast or fam- would later score after swiping Renny Bryner inducted into Rome-Floyd County Sports Hall of Fame By Todd Forrest Bryner would become friends with Crew,” a name that has stuck with squads of that era. The girls team Sports Editor the eventual Union County School the Panther student section since spent much of the 80s and early Superintendent Earl Odom, which the early-1990s. 90s flirting with the state rank- [email protected] would help Bryner land the UCHS “We always played hard ings, eventually culminating with job two decades later. and we always had great crowds,” a Class A Elite 8 appearance as ROME - Former Union After graduating college, he said. “It didn’t matter if it was the champions of Region 8-A in County boys basketball coach Bryner tried his hand on the busi- during the week or on the week- 1994. Renny Bryner was enshrined into ness side of sports, building a golf end, the gym was usually standing In 2007, Bryner would the Rome-Floyd County Sports course while coaching a variety of room only. return to coaching in North Geor- Hall of Fame on Monday, Feb. sports at the high school level in “Our teams were never ath- gia when he took over the boys 25 for his achievements while Barnesville and Titusville, FL. letic but the guys took me in right program at Gilmer High School attending Mt. Berry High School Upon returning to Berry in away and they gave me everything in Ellijay. and Berry College. 1978, Bryner found success as the they had. Those kids also wanted During the 2007-08 season, Prior to arriving at Union basketball, men’s track and cross to make a difference, on and off the he coached against Hunter’s Pan- County in 1987, Bryner was a country coach. court. A lot of them have gone into thers in a preseason scrimmage. standout prep athlete at Mt. Berry “The transition was a little the ministry or criminal justice. The Rome-Floyd Sports School for Boys, earning an invite difficult,” he said. “(Berry) called But I want to be remembered as Hall of Fame was started in 1971 to the North-South All-Star basket- and offered me the job and I didn’t someone that didn’t play favorites. in order to recognize amateur and ball game. Later, he was named think I could do it. But they had The best players played regardless professional athletes and those one of the top-five players in Mt. confidence in me so I took the of who they were.” who contribute to the growth and Berry history. job.” His time at UCHS wasn’t development of sports. Despite never playing or- Renny Bryner as head coach of Berry College from 1978-1982. In 1980 he guided the men’s without tragedy, however, as Each year, new members ganized basketball until 9th grade, my favorite one was scoring 28 team in scoring and free throw basketball team to its first confer- Russell was killed at 22-years old are added to the Sports Hall of Bryner was a three-year letterman points in the state tournament vs percentage while picking up out- ence championship.