RINGGOLD, Ga. — The high school baseball season is not yet a week old, but Eric Beagles is already thinking ahead. In Georgia’s Region 7-AAA, the early part of a schedule had better be productive, and Beagles’ Heritage Generals are aiming high this year.
Thursday’s 7-2 win over Class AAAA Northwest Whitfield was a solid victory for the now 2-0 Generals, but Beagles knows it will take more to compete in a region with three of the top five ranked teams in Class AAA.
“The pace wasn’t what we wanted, and that kind of affects everything with us,” said Beagles, whose team spotted the Bruins a first-inning run but scored three in the third. “So we talked about addressing that in the future. We didn’t start out very strong tonight, but it was good to weather that early storm and to answer when they scored late.”
Junior pitcher Dalton Belk earned the win with four strong innings, allowing three hits and an unearned run and striking out five. However, Northwest loaded the bases in the first on two hits and an error, and when Belk walked Luke Hensley to force in a run — still with no one out — the pitcher’s fate was in serious doubt.
Belk, though, struck out the next two batters and ended the inning with a groundout to escape the jam. He then faced one batter over the minimum the next three innings.