The hits came for the Bobcats, but the runs did not follow.
Gilmer High took on the No. 2 ranked Pickens Dragons to continue the rivalry and region baseball action. GHS hosted the opener last Monday, and errors cost the Cats in a 7-1 loss.
Pickens hosted the final two games of the series, and won a chirpy game two Thursday, 11-1. The Dragons’ strong second and sixth innings in game three allowed them to earn the series sweep, 10-3.
“It felt like a rivalry match all week long,” said head coach Jeff Thurman. “I really felt like our kids played hard. The effort never faltered, and it was there all week. Unfortunately, we played against a really good baseball team. They’re ranked for a reason. They only lost one region game and have a lot of pitching depth. They do a good job putting the ball in play offensively, and I was really impressed with their defense as well.”
The Cats had eight hits in Monday’s opener, but they committed nine errors. The Dragons took advantage for four unearned runs.
Pickens (18-3) scored two unearned runs in the first inning. PHS added a run in the third and another unearned run was plated in the fourth. Two more runs crossed home in the sixth and one was due to a GHS error.
Gilmer scored its lone run in its half of the sixth. Ethan McCollum reached on a two-out base hit. Hayden Berry singled to left, and a Dragon error allowed him to race to third and McCollum scored.
The Cats left five runners stranded in scoring position. McCollum tallied three hits on the day, while Blake Grizzle, Eli Cooper, Austin Zabala, Haden West and Berry all had one.
Zabala pitched the first four innings and walked four, struck out two, and gave up a pair of earned runs off four hits. C.J. Hatchett pitched the sixth and seventh innings and allowed two hits.
Game two started favorably for the Bobcats. Grizzle, Cooper and Noah Gutillo’s hits loaded the bases. However, two strikeouts and groundout to the pitcher kept GHS off the board.
In its at-bat, a two-out walk and hit to right moved PHS ahead, 1-0.
GHS answered with some two-out hits as well in the second. West singled up the middle and scored when Grizzle ripped a double off the left-field fence. Grizzle advanced to third on the throw home, but West was safe to even the score.
The Dragons pulled back ahead by a run in the bottom of the inning. PHS added four runs in both the fourth and fifth innings. In the fourth, one crossed home plate on a wild pitch, and two more scored on a double to center. An ensuing field’s choice made the score 6-1 in Pickens’ favor.
In the fifth, a two-run homer padded Pickens’ lead. Following a strike out, an error, balk and fielder’s choice brought another run home. A solo homer to left put GHS behind, 10-1. An 11th PHS run ended the game in the sixth.
McCollum started the game for GHS and went 4 2/3 innings. He surrendered four hits, seven earned runs, five walks and struck out one. Cooper Cochran tossed an inning and walked one and allowed two earned runs off five hits.
Grizzle, Cooper and Gutillo each collected two hits at the top of the lineup. McCollum and West had a hit as well. Gilmer left three runners in scoring position.
Gilmer continued to hit in game three and totaled nine. Grizzle and Gutillo both had another two-hit performance, and Cooper, McCollum, Berry, West and Mel Mosley had one each. Again, eight base runners were stranded in scoring position.
PHS led 1-0 after an inning and 6-0 after two doubles, a hit batter and three consecutive singles in the second.
Grizzle’s solo home run to left got GHS on the board in the third. With two outs, a Gutillo single and McCollum double added a second run.
Consecutive hits by Mosley, West and Grizzle loaded the bases in the third. Gilmer’s third run scored on Cooper’s fly out to center, but GHS left runners at second and third to end the inning.
Pickens scored its final four runs in the sixth and two were unearned.
Dalton Crisp pitched all six innings for GHS. He gave up 12 hits for seven earned runs. He struck out one and walked one. “We hit the ball hard all week long. We outhit them in game one and were hitting the ball as well as they were,” said Thurman.
“They made a few more defensive plays than we did, especially in the first game. Our defense let us down pretty bad in that first one. We continued to struggle a little defensively the rest of the week. Pickens is good enough to capitalize. We stranded a lot of base runners all week, and that was kind of the difference in the game.
“We have to play well in all areas of the game to be able to pull one out against a team like Pickens. Unfortunately, we came up short. I really like what we’re doing at the plate.”
The losses dropped the Bobcats’ record to 8-11. They hosted Wesleyan at press deadline. A double header at Wesleyan Thursday will end the series, and the first game is scheduled for 4 p.m.