The Ringgold Tigers are fortunate to still be in the baseball postseason.
The champions of Region 5 ran into a hungry pack of Gilmer High Bobcats in the first round of the Class 3A state playoffs last week.
The best-of-three series kicked off with a double header Tuesday, and the Bobcats doubled the Tigers’ hits. Noah Gutillo’s two-run home run in Gilmer’s final at-bat gave GHS the lead, and pitcher Austin Zabala earned the complete game victory, 4-2.
The Cats also outhit Ringgold in game two, but GHS continually left runners stranded in scoring position. Gilmer’s rally in the seventh was cut short in a 5-3 loss.
The series finale was in Ringgold the following day. While Gilmer’s bats were held in check, the score was still tied after the fifth. However, errors and walks in the sixth proved costly, and the Tigers ended the Bobcats’ season, 8-1.
The trip to the state playoffs was Gilmer’s fourth in school history and first since 2017. The Cats’ game one victory is the program’s first in the state playoffs.
“Our goal was to play competitive baseball in a playoff series,” said head coach Jeff Thurman. “We wanted to make sure our players understood we were playing to win and playing to compete. We felt like we could after we had a few days to evaluate Ringgold. The next thing was to make sure our players knew that, and they did. We were really happy with the way they played.
“We played three games and 21 total innings. Unfortunately, we only played 20 innings of good baseball. That one inning kind of cost us. But you can’t really say it cost us the series because if we had just swung the bat a little better in game two, there might not have ever been a game three. Overall, aside from that one inning, we played some really good baseball against a really good team.”
Zabala outdueled Ringgold’s Sebastian Haggard in the opener. The senior Bobcat gave up just four hits and two walks while striking out four. At the plate, Zabala joined Eli Cooper and Gutillo with two hits.
In the fourth, GHS scored the game’s first run when Blake Grizzle singled home Ethan McCollum, who began the inning with a base hit to right. Ringgold got on the board in its half of the inning with a two-run homer by Haggard.
In the fifth, GHS evened the score at 2-2. Following a pair of strikeouts, Cooper reached on an infield hit and stole second. He scored on an ensuing Tiger error. Gutillo doubled, and RHS intentionally walked Dalton Crisp to load the bases, but Gilmer was unable to take advantage.
GHS took the lead for good in the seventh. Cooper started things with a double to left center. Gutillo then sent a Haggard pitch over the left field wall for a 4-2 Bobcat lead.
While Ringgold got two runners on base in its final at-bat, Zabala and the defense quelled the Tigers’ rally.
McCollum also had a hit for GHS to bring its tally to eight.
“Or motto offensively has been ‘refuse to strikeout,’” Thurman said. “We looked at the data early on and quickly noticed in games where we strike out a lot we struggle. In games where we don’t strike out we either win or are competing.
“Haggard pitched a great game, and we did strike out a few times (11). What you saw was our kids really battling. A lot of the hits we got off him to get runners on were just some flares to the outfield or running an infield single out. We didn’t necessarily hit it hard, but we did put in play enough. Gutillo barreled one up and it helped us, but that’s what happens when you keep battling and getting runners on base.”
Thurman added, “We played good defense and Austin pitched a terrific game.”
Gilmer outhit the Tigers 11-9 in game two, but the Cats left five runners stranded in scoring position. GHS was the home team in game two and left runners standing on second and third to begin the game.
Walks were an issue for the Bobcats, and the Tigers gladly accepted seven free passes to first base. With two outs in the third, a hit and walk were followed by two more hits that gave RHS a 2-0 lead.
Gilmer scored its first run in the fourth. Zabala’s one-out double was followed by a Tiger wild pitch, and he advanced to second. Mel Mosley’s bloop single to right put GHS on the board.
A three-run Tiger home run in the fifth saw GHS fall behind by four runs. In the sixth, Crisp was replaced on the mound by C.J. Hatchett, who issued two walks and a third RHS batter reached on an error.
With no outs and the bases loaded, sophomore Landon McClure took over for Hatchett. McClure promptly fanned the Tigers’ No. 2 and 3 hitters before inducing a fly out to center.
Trailing 5-1, Haden West started the seventh with a double to left. Cooper singled to right before a double steal gave GHS a pair of base runners in scoring position. Crisp’s doubled to left as well to score both, but he was stranded at second base as a ground out ended the game.
Through five innings, Crisp gave up five earned runs off eight hits and five walks while striking out one. Cooper finished with three hits as both Zabala and Crisp notched two. Gutillo, Mosley, West and Grizzle each added a hit for the Cats.
GHS was limited to two hits in game three, which did not come until the fifth inning. Crisp and Hayden Berry strung together singles to left to begin the inning, and courtesy runner Peyton Chancey scored when Zabala flew out to right.
With one out, an error, walk and single loaded the bases for Ringgold in the sixth. A hit to right scored two, and a single to center loaded the bases once again. Another hit to left plated two more Tigers, and the second base runner had to beat the throw home. During the commotion at the plate, another Tiger scored for a 6-1 edge.
A second error added Ringgold’s seventh run before a base hit up the middle plated an eighth.
McCollum got the start and lasted 5 1/3 innings. Errors accounted for four unearned runs, and McCollum was credited with the remaining four. He struck out three, walked two and allowed nine hits. McClure tossed 2/3 of an inning and struck out one.
“I can’t really be more proud of our boys and what they were able to accomplish,” Thurman said. “We’re excited about them being able to have this experience, and hope players moving forward will get to experience this more often.”
GHS ended the season with a 16-15 record, which is the program’s first winning record since 2013. The Cats scored 193 runs on the season, with the next closest total being 155 in both 2012 and 2013.
“We accomplished a lot this season, and it’s made us refocus our goals and set the standard a little higher for our program,” said Thurman. “We achieved a lot of goals we set this season, and we started winning a lot of region series (four out of six).
“As we moved through the year, our goals started to change. I just can’t be more proud of this team and what it accomplished. Just an inning or a hit or a pitch or two here or there, and we’re maybe looking at ourselves in the Sweet 16. I’m really proud of our boys.”
Region 7 teams Pickens, Wesleyan and Dawson County all swept their first round opponent to advance to round two.