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Brookhaven — Brookhaven Academy’s strong pitching and big bats proved to be too much for Cathedral High School in their MAIS District 4-4A varsity doubleheader last Friday night at Williams-Gillis Ballpark.

Caston Thompson pitched five solid innings and Gavin Brogden hit a grand slam home run to lead the Cougars to a 12-2 five-inning win over the Green Wave in Game 1 and Tyler Fortenberry allowed just one hit in four innings in a 10-6 win in Game 2.

Brookhaven Academy (6-4, 3-0) had 11 base hits in the first game and 12 base hits in the nightcap.

“We knew Brookhaven was going to be a good team. We were hoping to take one or two games from this series,” Green Wave head coach Craig Beesley said. “Their offense was better than I expected. They hit the ball real well. They were great on defense also.”

In the first game, Thompson gave up two runs, one earned, on two this with 10 strikeouts and just one walk in a complete-game performance. He helped his own cause by going 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs batted and one run scored.

Cathedral scored its first run in the top of the first inning before Brookhaven Academy responded with two runs in the bottom of the first to take the lead for good. The Cougars added two runs in the bottom of the third inning for a 4-1 lead.

After the Green Wave scored one run in the top of the fourth inning to make it a 4-2 game, the Cougars scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth, highlighted by Gavin Brogden’s two-out grand slam. The Cougars scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to run-rule the Green Wave.

Jake Maples was charged with the loss after giving up nine runs, three earned, on nine hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Tanner Wimberly allowed three earned runs on two hits and one walk in one-third of an inning.

Sam Mosby homered for Cathedral and went 1-for-2 while Noah Russ has the other base hit for the Green Wave and scored their other run on an RBI by Wimberly.

Brogden went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and four runs scored. Tyler Fortenberry was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

In the second game, the Cougars jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on run-scoring singles by Easton Boyte and Dylan Fortenberry. Three more runs came across home plate for them in the bottom of the third inning and two runs scored in the bottom of the fourth to give Brookhaven Academy a 7-0 lead.

The Green Wave finally got on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth inning, but the Cougars scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth thanks to RBIs by Boyte, Logan Alexander, and Trevor Fortenberry.

After winning pitcher Tyler Fortenbrry and Collin Waldrop held Cathedral to one run on two hits through the first six innings, Michael Watts came in to close the game for Brookhaven Academy in the top of the seventh. Cathedral scored five runs on five hits and two walks off Watts, but the rally fell a few runs short.

Russ, Hollis Lees, Jake Hairston and Paxton Junking each had RBIs for the Green Wave in that frame. Lees, Russ, Hairston, Mosby, Zeke Flattman, Tyler Gregg and Jack Lewis each had a base hit with Hairston having two RBIs.

Tyler Fortenberry gave up one hit, struck out nine and walked just one batter in his four innings. Waldrop allowed one unearned run, struck out one and walked two over two innings. Four of the five runs Watts gave up were earned. Boyte went 3-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Dylan Fortenberry was 2-for-4 with one RBI and three runs scored while Waldrop went 2-for-4 with two runs scored.

Russ suffered the loss on the mound after allowing seven runs, two earned, on seven hits with four strikeouts, two walks and one hit batter in four innings. Lees came on in relief and gave up three earned runs on five hits with one strikeout and two walks in two innings.

Cathedral (7-3, 0-3) takes on Brookhaven Academy in a non-district game as the two teams clash at the Vidalia Viking Invitational Thursday at 5 p.m.