The Gilmer High Bobcats faced one of Class 3A’s top baseball teams to end the season.
GHS met Cherokee Bluff last week for a three-game series, and the top-10 ranked Bears earned the sweep.
Game one was played in Ellijay, and GHS found itself down by four runs in the sixth. CBHS erupted for a 13-run inning and came away with an 18-1 win. The Cats had their best offensive game on the road Wednesday. The Bears were still able to lead throughout and won, 12-5.
Gilmer recognized its seniors ahead of Friday’s series finale. The Bears scored runs in every inning, and the game was called early as GHS fell, 16-0.
The Bobcats lost nine straight region games to end the season.
“The last three weeks against Dawson, Lumpkin and Cherokee Bluff, our command from our pitching staff was not where it needed to be and wasn’t where it was leading up to those games,” said head coach Jeff Thurman. “We had been a lot better, but lately have struggled to throw strikes. We allowed people to get on with walks and both Dawson and Cherokee Bluff were hot at the end of the season. When we were throwing it over the plate, they were hitting it pretty hard.
“We scored some runs versus Dawson and Lumpkin, and our bats came alive in game two versus Cherokee Bluff. Offensively, we played good enough to win some of those games, but pitching and defense kind of lacked here at the end of the season. We knew going into the last three weeks, that two out of those three series were going to be a battle. Dawson and Cherokee Bluff were battling for the No. 2 seed up until last week.”
The opportunistic Bears took advantage of 11 GHS errors and drew 29 walks throughout the series. They racked up 33 hits over the three games when they got pitches in the zone.
CBHS strung together three hits in its first at-bat of game one and drew a walk and fielder’s choice with runners in scoring position for a quick 4-0 lead.
Noah Gutillo’s third-inning double scored courtesy runner Haden West for Gilmer’s only run.
The Bears plated a run in the fourth for a 5-1 edge. In their 13-run sixth, CBHS had eight hits, and three were for extra bases and included a grand slam. They also drew four walks, and GHS committed three errors.
The Cats were unable to score the needed runs in its at-bat and the game was called. Austin Zabala, Grant Cochran, Blake Zabala, Ethan McCollum, Billy Goswick and Colton Nunn all added a hit for GHS.
GHS pitching: McCollum 3 2/3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 K, 6 BB. West 1 2/3 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 K. Eli Cooper 3 H, 5 ER, 3 BB. Hayden Berry 2/3 IP, 1 K, 1 BB.
Blake Zabala’s solo homer got GHS on the board in the first inning of game two. CBHS plated a run in its half of the inning and added four more runs in the third.
Gutillo came up with the Cats’ next big hit in the fourth. His two-run home run over the center field fence cut the Bears’ lead to 5-3. However, CBHS added four more runs in its next at-bat to extend the lead to 9-3.
Gilmer came back with a pair of runs in the fifth. Cochran grounded out to score Seth Darling and Blake Zabala’s single to left made the score 9-5. CBHS answered with another run in its half of the inning and plated two more in the sixth to win by seven.
Blake Zabala had three hits on the day and Goswick added one. Pitching: Cochran 4 1/3 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 3 K, 5 BB. Carter Jones 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 K 2 BB.
The Bears out hit GHS 8-2 in game three. They also drew 12 walks, and four Gilmer errors led to four unearned runs. Goswick and West each had a hit for the Bobcats.
CBHS scored at least one run in every inning, and its most productive innings came in the first and fifth where it scored four and six runs, respectively.
GHS pitching: Darling 3 IP, 4 H, 8 ER, 2 K, 8 BB. A. Zabala 1 1/3 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 4 BB. Jones 2/3 IP.
Assessing the season and looking ahead
Thurman discussed the season, noting, “I wish we would have played better at the end. We had some injuries that came up with Branson missing the last two weeks with his surgery. We were without Colton pretty much the whole season, which we were kind of getting away with until we lost Branson. When you don’t have a lot of depth to begin with, it makes things difficult.
“I told the boys I’m still proud of them. We played some good baseball throughout the season. I just wish we would have played a little better at the end, but that just wasn’t the case.”
Gilmer finished with a 10-18 overall record and was 5-16 against region opponents.
“We knew it was going to be a tough region. Even if you look at teams in Class 2A, 3A and 4A, it’s one of the toughest regions in the state,” Thurman said. “Of course, when you get up to Class 6A and 7A, we’re not comparing the same thing. I think our region is going to do pretty good in the playoffs.”
Playoff teams North Hall, Cherokee Bluff and East Forsyth will move on to larger classifications beginning next school year. GHS will welcome two new teams to the region, which includes rival Pickens.
“Wesleyan is going to be good. They’re sitting at 25-4 now, and you never know what kind of kids they’re going to have,” Thurman said. “Right now, they got Andruw Jones’ son, who is a senior. They get some of those kinds of kids. Plus, we’re adding Pickens, and they were No. 2 in their region this year, and they’re still pretty young. So the region will get a little easier, but not much.”
GHS will bid farewell to some experienced players who it has depended on in recent seasons. Thurman will need underclassmen to fill starting roles next spring.
“Six of those seven seniors have been with us in the program for four years, and Britt Taylor just came out this year. I wish he had played more because he could’ve been a difference maker for us,” he said. “We’re going to miss those guys. We’re going to be young next year, and a lot of sophomores are probably going to have to start for us. They’re going to have to grow up pretty quick.”
JV Cats finish season strong
The junior varsity Bobcats rebounded from a slow start to post a 4-7 record on the season.
Gilmer opened the year with four straight losses to Lumpkin County (22-2 and 12-0), Pickens (18-6) and Dawson County (10-4). The Cats then notched a 4-2 win over Union County and avenged its losses to Lumpkin with an 8-7 victory over the Indians.
Following a 9-3 loss to Fannin, GHS split over its last four games. The Bobcats downed Pickens (5-4) and Union (9-6) with a pair of losses to Dawson by scores of 5-0 and 6-3.