The final week of the regular season included three more region softball matchups for the Gilmer Lady Cats.
Last Monday brought Northwest Whitfield to town, and GHS was playing catch-up all evening. Gilmer never overcame the Bruins’ fast start and lost, 5-2.
The Cats were at Ridgeland the next day, and the Panthers needed five innings to snag a 13-5 win. GHS hosted Ridgeland Thursday for senior night, and it was another five inning game with the Panthers coming out on top, 14-6.
Northwest scored all of its runs in the first inning with two outs and two runners poised in scoring position. Three hits and two walks followed for a 5-0 lead.
Sarah Dale’s bases loaded single plated the Cats’ first run in the second inning. In the fifth, hits by Makayla Martin, Jaylee McDaniel and Emma Cagle loaded the bases once again. Mary Grace Jones flew out to right to score Martin for Gilmer’s second run.
Gracie Morrow also had a hit for GHS, and McDaniel tallied two on the day. Dale tossed all seven innings and gave up seven hits, six walks and struck out five.
Gilmer and Ridgeland matched each other with 12 hits apiece the next day, but the Cats left six runners stranded in scoring position.
Offensively, GHS plated two runs in the second inning. Cagle’s and Fortune’s base hits were followed by Phoenix Addie’s RBI single to center. Mia Henson smacked a hit to center as well to score courtesy runner Madison Balanno.
Three more runs crossed home plate for the Cats in the third. Addie and Henson set the stage once again with singles. Jones’ two-run hit to center scored two, and Gilmer’s fifth run came home on McDaniel’s single to right.
Meanwhile, Ridgeland scored in every at-bat, which included one in the first and second innings, four in the third and two in the fifth. When the Panthers plated five more in the fifth, the game was called because of run differential.
McDaniel, Dale, Cagle, Addie and Henson all had two hits apiece. GHS pitching: McDaniel 2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 K, 1 BB. Fortune 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 K, 1 BB. Dale 1 2/3 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 3 BB.
Versus Ridgeland Thursday, GHS was able to stave off a run-rule decision in the third inning. The Panthers struck for four runs in the first and led 11-2 following the second inning. RHS held a 13-2 edge after its third at-bat, and the Cats plated three runs.
However, when Ridgeland added two more runs in the fifth, Gilmer responded with one, and the game was called.
Morrow played her final game for GHS and recorded a hit and drove in two runs. Fortune drove in a pair of runs as well, and Henson accounted for Gilmer’s remaining RBI. McDaniel, Cagle and Fortune each had two hits.
GHS pitching: Dale 2/3 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB. McDaniel 1 IP, 5 ER, 4 BB. Fortune 3 1/2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 K, 3 BB.
Gilmer also hit the road Wednesday for a nonregion game against the Union County Panthers and lost, 10-7.
The teams combined for nine errors and just one Union run was earned while the Cats scored five runs due to Panther errors.
GHS led 2-0 after the second before Union tied the game in the third and scored five more runs in the fourth. When Gilmer added two runs in the fifth, Union answered with a run in its half. The Cats’ scooted three runs across the plate in the sixth to draw within a run before Union scored two more.
Dale and Fortune had two hits apiece, while Cagle, Addie, Henson and Jones all had one. GHS pitching: Fortune 4 IP, 7 H, 2 K. Dale 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 K, 1 BB.
The Lady Cats ended the season with a 5-24 overall record and were 1-17 versus region opponents.