Bragg throws one-hitter as Horns split games

Junior Braxton Bragg's spot start on Tuesday hit the spot for the Johnson County baseball team. Bragg pitched a one-hitter and struck out 10 as the Longhorns completed a home-and-home sweep with a 5-2 win against Happy Valley at Pete Pavusek Memorial Stadium. Senior Carson Jennings was slated to start against the Warriors. But he sustained a pectoral injury that is expected to sideline him two weeks. "I've been intrigued by Braxton, really since our throwing program first semester, and just been waiting to see what it looked like, you know, against live batters," Johnson County coach Nick Perkins said. "And he gave us more than we ever could have asked for. … he went out and dominated. You would have thought he had been a member of our starting staff for the last two years." Adding a changeup to his arsenal has aided Bragg. "He has a good, kind of old school, straight change," Perkins said. "There's not as much movement. It just really slows down – what we used to call a Bugs Bunny changeup. And he has a good curveball, especially when he trusts it, and has some zip on his fastball." Bragg's debut came a day after Kaden Blevins pitched a four-hitter to propel Johnson County to a 4-1 victory at Happy Valley. Blevins struck out nine and allowed one unearned run. "They threw back-to-back masterpieces to open conference play," Perkins said. "And that was Bragg's first-ever varsity start. Our really talented sophomore lefty, Brock Jones, warmed up in the bullpen both on Monday and on Tuesday. and he just hasn't gotten in the game yet due to their dominance." Blevins, Bragg and shortstop Grayson Espinoza each drove in a run in the win at Happy Valley. Blevins went 2-for-3 with two steals. In the win against the Warriors in Mountain City, Blevins went 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Bragg was also 2-for-4. And Dylan Reece was 2-for-3 with an RBI. "Junior Dylan Reese had two huge hits on Tuesday night in our win against Happy Valley," Perkins said. "We're pleased with how we've started the season. We're getting great play from Bragg – the number two hole in the lineup at third base. Shortstop Grayson Espinoza has been hitting cleanup and really flashing the leather at short. Center fielder Chris Wilson is (playing well). "We're just really getting a total team effort right now. A lot of players are making contributions." Johnson County (2-0, 4-1) lost 8-4 to Sullivan East on Friday. Blevins was 3-for-4 with a run and a steal. "And one of those hits was a drag bunt," Perkins said. "The third baseman was back deep, because the at-bat before, Blevins had hit a double. So Kaden's a very versatile offensive player." Sawyer Marshall was 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI against East. "One bad inning did us in against East," Perkins said. "But senior Ethan Smith gave us a quality start on Friday night." Scheduled games against Chuckey-Doak on Monday and Tuesday (March 16-17) were postponed due to the weather forecast. Johnson County will host Chuckey-Doak on Thursday. The Longhorns were scheduled to play Hampton that day, but it was postponed due to Hampton's basketball team playing in the state tournament. Johnson County is tentatively scheduled to play Cloudland on Friday, but it could be postponed due to prior commitments of some Highlanders players. "We were supposed to have four games this week and we might have one," said Perkins, who isn't distraught about the situation due to having some tender arms, aches and ailments. "I think it's gonna be good for my ball club in terms of just a little rest."