After a pair of hotly-contested baseball games, the Bruins ran away with game three.
The Gilmer High Bobcats took on Northwest Whitfield last week as region action winds down. Gilmer’s home game Thursday was bookended by trips to Northwest Tuesday and Friday, and all three ended in the Bruins’ favor.
The Cats’ two-run rally in the seventh forced two extra innings in game one, and the Bruins walk-off homer secured the win, 3-2. Gilmer outhit Northwest in game two, same as it did in the series opener. However, GHS played from behind all day and never caught up in a 5-3 loss.
Game three was all Northwest, and the mercy-ruled game was called after five innings, 10-0.
The Bobcats outhit Northwest 8-4 in game one, but GHS left eight runners stranded in scoring position. The Bruins notched a run in the second and third innings and maintained their 2-0 edge until the top of the seventh.
Blake Grizzle was hit by a pitch with one out to start the rally before Noah Gutillo doubled to right. Peyton Chancey’s ensuing two-run double evened the score.
Bobcat C.J. Hatchett tripled in the eighth, but he was left standing 90 feet from home plate. In the bottom of the ninth, a solo home run with one out ended the game.
Chancey had three hits on the day and Hatchett recorded two. Eli Cooper joined Grizzle and Gutillo with one.
GHS pitching: Slade Holt 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 K. Gutillo 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 K, 2 BB. Landon McClure 3 IP, 1 H, 3 K, 1 BB. Hatchett 2 1/3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER.
GHS committed three errors in the first inning of game two and all three Bruin runs were unearned.
The Bobcats’ four hits in their half allowed them to trim the deficit to a run. Mel Mosley’s double led off the inning before consecutive hits to right by Cooper and Grizzle. The latter single plated Gilmer’s first run, and Cooper scored on Chancey’s hit to left.
Consecutive doubles in the fourth innings moved Northwest’s lead to 4-2. Two more hits came for NHS in its next at-bat for a fifth run.
The Bobcats took advantage of Cooper’s one-out single in their half of the fifth. Gutillo’s two-out triple scored Gilmer’s third and final run. GHS left two runners stranded in scoring position in the sixth, and Gutillo was left standing on second after his double in the seventh inning.
In addition to Gutillo’s two extra base hits, Cooper collected four hits. Jase McCollum and Cooper Cochran had one hit for the Cats.
GHS pitching: Hatchett 4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 2 BB. McClure 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER. Holt 1 IP, 2 K. Cochran 1 IP, 1 K.
The Bruins’ seven hits in game three were supplemented by seven walks issued by GHS pitchers. Northwest scored five first inning runs, four in the third and a final in the fifth.
Chancey, Cochran and Will Capstick all had a hit for the Cats. GHS pitching: Berry 2 1/3 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 3 K, 5 BB. Cochran 2 1/3 IP. 2 H 2 ER, 1 K, 2 BB.
Gilmer is 6-13 overall and 3-9 versus region opponents.
GHS faces Calhoun this week. The Cats hit the road Tuesday evening and will return to Calhoun Friday. GHS hosts game two Thursday and both are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.
JV wins three on the week
The junior varsity Bobcats earned three wins last week and none were close.
GHS smashed North Murray at home Monday, 11-0. Jayden Grizzle and Brandon Harrel both knocked in three runs, Jase McCollum drove in two and Zander Schute, Jamison Payne and Braden Davenport all recorded one RBI.
Ryan Rellinger tossed four innings and did not allow a hit while striking out six. Davenport fanned all three batters he faced in the fifth.
Fellowship Christian was in town the next day and downed the Cats, 14-2.
Gilmer had six hits, and two belonged to Payne, who also knocked in both runs.
GHS hosted Southeast Whitfield for a Saturday doubleheader and rolled through the Raiders for wins of 11-0 and 13-1.
SWHS issued six walks in game one and GHS collected seven hits. McCollum and Grizzle were back at it again with a pair of RBIs. GHS scored a run in the first, two in the second and led 6-0 after the third. The Cats’ five-run fourth led to the end of the game when the Raiders had no answer in the fifth..
Grizzle earned the win, pitched three innings and gave up a hit and struck out three.
It did not get any better for Southeast in game two. GHS struck for four runs in the first and six more in the second for a healthy lead. Gilmer tacked on a run in the third and two more in the fourth for another mercy-rule win.
Grizzle drove in four runs for the Cats. Peyton Ocobock and McCoy Sutton also knocked in a pair of runs. Ocobock, Schute, McCollum and Grizzle all had two hits.
Harrel fanned seven Raiders over three innings and surrendered a hit and three walks.