Gilmer ran into a buzz saw last week when it met the North Hall Trojans.
The shorthanded GHS Bobcats faced region opponent and the No. 2 ranked baseball team in Class 3A for a three-game series.
NH took game one at home Monday in five innings, 10-0. Game two was played in Ellijay Wednesday. GHS hung close for most of the game but faded late in a 12-1 defeat. The series finale was played in Hall County Friday and the Trojans won, 13-2.
GHS took the field for the first two games without a pair of starters who were injured. By Friday, two more starters were shelved because of quarantine.
Gilmer head coach Jeff Thurman discussed the series and noted, “In my opinion, North Hall is probably going to end up being the best team in the region and one of the better teams in 3A. We were just dealing with injuries and dealing with quarantine and didn’t play very well either.
“You have to credit North Hall because they’re good. Sometimes when you play a team like that it makes it look like you’re not playing well when a lot of it is just the fact that they’re that good.”
North Hall’s Eli Reece tossed five perfect innings against GHS Monday while striking out seven Bobcats. The Trojans collected nine hits on the day and four of their 10 runs were unearned.
The game’s first run came in the bottom of the second. NH tacked on two more runs in the third, and a seven-run fourth was just what the Trojans needed. When GHS could not cut the deficit to less than 10 runs in the fifth, the game was called.
Gilmer was the first to strike Wednesday. Jess Buckner reached on an error to lead off the first inning and advanced to second on an ensuing wild pickoff attempt. The Trojans continued to toss the ball around looking to pick off runners, but another errant attempt allowed Buckner to score from third.
North Hall tallied a run in the second inning and plated an unearned run in the third. Bobcat Seth Darling pitched the first three innings for GHS and struck out seven, walked three and allowed four hits.
It was Darling’s first start in two weeks after recovering from an injury, and Thurman pulled him from the game after throwing 68 pitches.
The Trojans added another run in the fourth and one more in the fifth. The Bobcats were still in the game entering the seventh inning down, 4-1.
NH collected eight runs in the seventh off four hits, a walk, two hit batters and a GHS error. Gilmer batters were retired in order to end the game.
The Trojans outhit Gilmer 11-4. Gabe Wolfson had two hits for GHS while Buckner and Darling both had one.
The series finale was another five-inning affair. The Bobcats limited NH to seven hits. However, five GHS errors led to eight unearned Trojan runs.
NH scored an unearned run in the second, and six more base runners crossed home plate in the third. The Trojans got a two-out rally going with two walks to load the bases. Two Trojan doubles were followed by two Bobcat errors as their lead ballooned to 7-0.
Wolfson got the fourth going for GHS with a leadoff single. Grant Cochran then smacked a double, and Wolfson scored on an ensuing Trojan error. Buckner later drew a two-out bases loaded walk for the Bobcats’ second run of the game.
North Hall loaded the bases in the fifth before GHS committed three straight errors that led to five more unearned runs and an early end to the game.
“On the bright side, we did get Jess back on the mound Friday,” Thurman said of Buckner, who had not been able to pitch until that point of the season. “He threw 28 pitches and kind of came in during a rough situation with runners on base. Their lineup was starting to get hot, but he did pretty good. We hope that helps in the weeks to come.
“We have to continue to focus on us and keep getting better every day and hope we can get some of these guys back.”
GHS is 3-9 overall, and the Bobcats met Union County Monday. Gilmer will host Southeast Whitfield Thursday for senior night with the first pitch set for 5:55 p.m.
“We’ll be missing four starters, which is OK this week because we’re not playing region,” Thurman said. “We’d still love to have them to try and get back on the winning side of things, but we’ll be shorthanded.”