Gilmer High wrapped up its nonregion baseball schedule with two more wins.
GHS faced Union County last Tuesday and Friday. Gilmer was at home for their first meeting, and the Bobcats’ bats came alive for an 11-4 win. GHS traveled to Union for the rematch, and the Panthers had no answer for the Bobcats. Gilmer strolled to an 11-0 victory for its sixth win of the season.
The Bobcats were in Fannin County last Monday, and Gilmer’s offense never got going in a 7-1 loss to the Rebels.
“Overall, we did really well in our nonregion games,” said head coach Jeff Thurman. “There was only one game out of the 10 (versus Murray County) where I thought we underperformed. Even in some of the games we lost, I felt like we played OK. We may not have played our best, but we played well enough to stay in the games aside from (against top ranked) Cherokee Bluff.”
The Bobcats had their best hitting game of the season in Tuesday’s game. GHS racked up 14 hits as Brandon Davis and Aiden McClure both recorded three while Eli Cooper and Hayden Berry notched two apiece.
While UCHS took a brief 1-0 lead after an inning, GHS started to distance itself in the second. McClure’s RBI single evened the score before both Ethan McCollum and Cooper drew bases loaded walks.
The Cats added six more runs in the third. Carter Jones, Davis and Cooper all knocked in a run with a base hit. McCollum walked with the bases full for another run, and when Brock Titus grounded out to short, courtesy runner Mel Mosley raced home.
When the Panthers were unable to cleanly field a Jones grounder, GHS pushed its lead to 9-1.
McCollum’s ground out in the Cats’ next at-bat added the 10th run, and UCHS got a run back in its half of the fifth. Cooper’s double to left tallied Gilmer’s final run, and Union plated two runs in the seventh before the Bobcats got the final out.
Titus and Noah Gutillo also added a hit for GHS. McCollum got the win and pitched five innings, struck out 10, walked two and gave up four hits and one earned run. Cooper pitched the sixth and allowed a hit, and Titus took the mound for the seventh and surrendered a hit and two earned runs while striking out two and walking two.
The Bobcats needed just five innings in game two as Jones pitched a shutout. UCHS was able to muster three hits, and Jones struck out four Panthers.
McCollum had another solid day at the plate with two hits and four RBIs. Davis’ hot hitting also continued a pair of hits and RBIs plus two runs scored.
GHS surged ahead 6-0 with a run in the second inning, three in the third and two more in the fourth. In the fifth, McCollum doubled home Haden West and Cooper. With two outs, base hits by Mel Mosley, Davis and Berry each drove in a run for an 11-0 lead.
Cooper also had two hits on the day for GHS and knocked in a run.
Gilmer was held to three hits versus Fannin, and the Bobcats’ run came in the fourth inning. Titus led off the frame with a double and advanced to third when Gutillo singled to right. Jones drew a walk to load the bases, and after two strikeouts, McClure walked as well.
At that point, it cut the Rebels’ to 2-1. FCHS responded in its half of the fourth with two runs. The Rebels added another in the fifth and two more in the sixth for a 7-1 advantage.
McClure also recorded a hit for GHS. Gilmer pitching: West 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 2 BB. Cooper 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 K, 1BB. Cooper Cochran 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 K, 1 BB. Berry 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 K, 1 BB.
GHS has a 6-4 overall record. The Bobcats hosted Dawson at press deadline and will travel to face the Tigers Thursday. The series will wrap up Friday in Ellijay beginning at 5:55 p.m.
Junior varsity
The junior varsity Bobcats hosted Lumpkin County for a Saturday double header. GHS fell 4-1 in game one ahead of an 11-3 loss in game two.
Rob Mosley had a hit and drove in a run for Gilmer, while Cooper Cochran, C.J. Hatchett and Jamison Payne all recorded one hit in the first game.
Gilmer’s run came in the second, while LCHS plated a run in the third, fourth, fifth and seventh innings.
GHS pitching: Hatchett 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB. Kanyon Connel 1/3 IP, 1 H. Landen McClure 3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 K, 2 BB. Blake Grizzle 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 K.
Lumpkin outhit GHS 8-4 in game two. The Indians plated runs in all but two innings, and its most fruitful at-bats came in the third and sixth where they scored three and four runs, respectively.
One of Gilmer’s three runs was earned, and Cochran recorded an RBI in the third. GHS also plated a run in the fifth and seventh innings. Mel Mosley, McClure and Connel each added a hit for the Bobcats.
GHS pitching: Tyler Pittman 2 1/3 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 2 K, 3 BB. Connel 2/3 IP, 1 BB. Deacon Shull 2 IP, 2H, 4 ER, 2K, 3 BB. Cochran 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1K, 1 BB.