BUFORD — With mentors like Jake Higginbotham and Justin Glover, Buford’s Frank Bradshaw felt he would get his chance one day.
Monday was that day, as the 6-foot-4 junior southpaw took the mound for his first-ever varsity start for the Wolves against Locust Grove. And it was everything he always imagined it would be.
Well, almost.
“Except for the end,” said Bradshaw, who took a five inning no-decision in a 3-0 loss to the Wildcats at McQuaig Field.
“Jake and Justin taught me a lot over the last year so I feel like I’m ready now. I was nervous at the start but I got settled down and overall I thought it went well," he said. "It was cool getting out there for the first time. It was about what I was expecting it to be."
Bradshaw walked Locust Grove’s Joah Curry on four pitches to start the game and then uncorked a wild pitch. After that, he allowed just one hit and walked one more while recording four strikeouts before leaving after the fifth inning in a scoreless tie due to a pitch count.
“Frank was really good out there,” Buford coach Tony Wolfe said. “I was real happy with how he threw the ball. I just wish we could have gotten him some runs.”
That was the frustrating part of the day for Wolfe and the Wolves. Buford batters coaxed eight walks out of three Wildcat pitchers, but managed just six hits, none with runners in scoring position. They left 15 runners on for the game, 10 in scoring position, including leaving the bases loaded three times in the first, third, and sixth innings.
“We’re just not swinging the bats real well right now,” Wolfe said. “We certainly had our chances. But it was a good game against quality team.”
The loss snapped a 16-game home winning streak for Buford (2-1), including a pair of wins over Locust Grove (4-1) last season in the Elite 8 round of the Class AAAA playoffs.
The only runs of the game came in the sixth when the Wildcats’ Gavin Lee connected on a Zach Fordham fastball for a three-run home run.
“Zach is going to be a big part of what we do and he is better than what he showed tonight. But give (Locust Grove) credit. They battled and got probably the only bad pitch he threw.”
Bradshaw missed on his first six varsity pitches, including a wild pitch, that produced a walk of Curry and then moved him to second. But he got Odlanier Rodriquez to ground out to short for his first varsity out and induced a pair of fly outs by Colton Bailey and Lee to leave Rodriquez stranded at second.
Buford had a chance to break through in the bottom of the first getting a lead off walk Brandon Marsh and then a pair of two-out walks to Griffin Jolliff and Glover to load the bases. But Locust Grove starter Ethan Lindow was able to induce a fielder’s choice ground out to second to get out of the jam and keep the game scoreless.
The Wildcats only other chance early came in the third when they got runners to second and third with no outs on a walk to Nolan Crisp and a perfect bunt single by Luke Mays. But Bradshaw got out of trouble getting Curry on a sacrifice, Rodriquez on a pop to right, and Bailey grounded out to second to end the threat.
Buford threatened in the bottom of the third loading the bases with none out on back-to-back singles by Austin and Nick Wilhite and a walk to Jolliff. But Lindow got Glover to fly to right, caught Thames Hudlow looking, and Noah Ledford lined out to right to get out of the huge jam.
But Locust Grove finally broke the scoreless tie in the top of the sixth. Curry and Bailey walked and Lee drilled a fastball over the scoreboard in left for the lead.
Buford mounted a rally in the bottom of the sixth loading the bases for a third time. But Nick Wilhite grounded back to the pitcher for a fielder’s choice out at home and Jolliff was caught looking to end the inning.
Austin Wilhite had two hits while Nick Wilhite, Marsh, Ledford, and Dillon Lancaster had one hit each. The top three hitters for Buford were 4-for 11 while the Nos. 4-9 hitters were just 2-for-15 for the game.
Rodriquez earned the win for the Wildcats going three innings scattering three hits with three walks while fanning five. Crisp got the save pitching around an error with two strikeouts in the seventh.
NOTES: Connor Bennett, a key piece of the Wolves 2015 title team, threw out the first pitch. He is headed to spring training with the Reds. ... Locust Grove came into the game having allowed just seven total runs in its first four games. ... Buford had outscored its first two opponents 26-11.
