The Gilmer Bobcats are off to their best start on the baseball diamond in recent years.
GHS opened its season at home last Monday and crushed Hiram 10-0 in six innings without allowing a hit. Gilmer traveled to Fannin County two days later and delivered a 3-1 loss to the Rebels. Fannin was in Ellijay Friday to close out the week, and the Rebels returned home with a 5-4 defeat.
“We were really pleased with our start,” said head coach Jeff Thurman. “It’s been a while since we’ve won at Fannin. We didn’t get a whole lot of production offensively, but we got just enough toward the end to push us ahead, and we held on to that 3-1 lead. We were able to throw strikes and play good defense.
“Friday, we jumped out early then our bats kind of went cold the rest of the night. We didn’t play as well defensively, but we were able to do just enough to hold on to the victory. We’ve been fortunate thus far that we haven’t done a lot of things that have beat ourselves. That’s sometimes been a struggle in the past where we have one bad inning.”
Hiram was kind enough to commit eight errors, which led to eight unearned runs for the Bobcats. GHS pitchers Seth Darling and Austin Zabala and the defense took care of the rest.
Hiram hitters had no answer for either pitcher. Darling tossed four innings, walked one and fanned 12, which accounted for each out. Zabala took the hill for the next two innings and walked two and struck out one.
The Cats tallied three runs in both the second and sixth innings and plated two more in the third and fifth frames. When HHS could not cut into the Cats’ lead in the top of the sixth, the game was called because of run differential.
Gilmer’s Austin Zabala collected three hits on the day, while Branson Teague, Blake Zabala and Noah Gutillo all had two hits.
A Fannin double and single in the second inning set the stage Wednesday. A fielder’s choice gave the Rebels a 1-0 edge, and the score remained unchanged until the fifth. That is when Bobcat Carter Jones came up with a two-out single to right field to score Darling to tie the game.
In the sixth, GHS went ahead for good, and the Bobcats were happy to take what they were given as both Blake Zabala and Grant Cochran drew walks. An Ethan McCollum line drive to left moved GHS ahead by a run. Gutillo also walked, and with the bases loaded, Cochran trotted home on a wild pitch for a 3-1 Gilmer lead.
Both teams left a runner stranded in scoring position in their next at-bats. FCHS could only muster a walk in the seventh as GHS claimed the win.
Both teams had four hits, and McCollum led the way for GHS with two. He also secured the win in five innings of work where he gave up three hits, an earned run two walks and struck out five. Jones struck out and walked one while allowing a hit over the final two innings.
GHS did all of its damage in the second inning Friday where it racked up five hits. Billy Goswick got things going with a one-out RBI single before three clutch two-out singles. Consecutive bases hits by Austin Zabala and Blake Zabala each plated a run for a 3-0 edge.
After Cochran was hit by a pitch, McCollum’s single to center moved GHS ahead, 5-0.
Three walks and a Gilmer error got FCHS a run in the third.
In the fourth, Fannin loaded the bases with a pair of singles and a hit batter. A bases loaded error cut Gilmer’s lead to 5-2, and an ensuing bases loaded blunder plated two more Rebel runs.
FCHS left a pair of runners stranded in scoring position in its next at-bat. The Rebels were held in check in the sixth, and they had a final opportunity in the seventh. However, the tying run was left at second base as a Darling strikeout ended the game and the Rebels’ hopes.
Austin Zabala got the win and pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowed an earned run and walked five. Goswick went two innings and gave up two hits and struck out six. Darling took the hill for the last two innings and struck out six as well and surrendered a hit.
Teague and McCollum each had a multihit game for GHS with three and two, respectively.
GHS faced Union County at Tuesday’s press deadline.