Gilmer High baseball met a pair of old rivals last week and came up just short.
The GHS Bobcats traveled to Fannin County Tuesday and the Rebels claimed a low-scoring victory, 1-0. FCHS brought its bats to Ellijay the next day and topped GHS, 13-3.
Gilmer closed out the week Friday at home against the Pickens Dragons. GHS had a chance to even the score in the final inning but were unable and lost, 4-3.
“I was real pleased with the way we played in two out of the three games,” GHS head coach Jeff Thurman said. “We just didn’t do anything well (in the 13-3 loss). We didn’t pitch well or play good defense and didn’t score enough runs to keep it close.
“I was proud of how we bounced back against Pickens Friday and played tough. Fannin and Pickens are two solid baseball teams and don’t have any weaknesses really. They have solid pitching, play solid defense and put the ball in play and force you to play good defense. We knew we were going to have to play well, and we did in two out of the three.”
Both Gilmer and Fannin recorded four hits Tuesday, and the game’s lone run was scored in the bottom of the third inning and was unearned. GHS left four runners stranded in scoring position on the day, which included two in the sixth inning.
Carter Jones pitched five solid innings for Gilmer and struck out one and walked one and gave up four hits. Billy Goswick pitched the sixth and struck out one.
Gilmer committed six errors the next day and four of the Rebels’ 13 runs were unearned. FCHS scored a run in every inning but the second. The Rebels had big first and third innings with three runs apiece and plated four in the sixth, which helped bring the game to a premature end.
The Rebels had five defensive miscues, and one of Gilmer’s runs was unearned. GHS scored a run in the second and two in the fourth as both Spencer Merritt and Gabe Wolfson knocked in a run on the day.
Fannin outhit the Bobcats 10-4 and Gilmer used three pitchers.
Gilmer was limited to one hit against Pickens Friday but took advantage of walks, hit batters and stole 10 bases.
The Dragons collected five hits on the day and two came in the first inning. With two outs, an error and walk was followed by a single up the middle for a 1-0 lead.
GHS answered in its half of the first without collecting a hit. Branson Teague was hit by a pitch with one out. Following a strike out, Merritt walked. With runners at the corners, Merritt broke for second base. The catcher’s throw was late as was the return throw home as Teague scored.
A PHS leadoff hit plus GHS error put a runner at second base to start the next inning. After Gilmer recorded two outs, a single to left moved Pickens ahead, 2-1.
GHS got a two-out rally going in the fourth. Colton Nunn’s base hit up the middle set the stage. He was replaced on the base paths by Kobe Stonecipher, who stole second and third base. Stonecipher raced home on an ensuing dropped third strike to tie the game at 2-2.
Both of Pickens’ runs were unearned in the sixth. A walk was followed by a wild pickoff throw to first base, which moved the runner to third. Another errant pickoff attempt gave PHS the lead. A walk, wild pitch and fielder’s choice gave Pickens a two-run cushion.
Merritt’s leadoff walk got things going in Gilmer’s half of the inning. He advanced to second on a groundout and to third on a balk. Merritt scored when Grant Cochran hit a hotshot back to the pitcher that was not fielded cleanly.
Pickens was held in check in the top of the seventh. Jones walked to start the bottom of the seventh for the Bobcats, but was caught stealing when GHS was unable to execute a hit and run.
Ethan McCollum then singled and a PHS error on the play allowed him to move to second. He made his way to third on a wild pitch, but he was stranded as a strikeout ended Gilmer’s hopes.
“I’ve told our guys that if we play well, it’s going to be a close game. It’s when we don’t play well that we really don’t stand a shot,” Thurman said. “You can’t play your best every game, but the off days for us right now are pretty bad. We’ve had two bad ones (Fannin last week and the first game against Pickens a week earlier), and the rest of them have all been close so we’re pleased with that.”
Cochran tossed five innings against Pickens. He gave up five hits, two earned runs and struck out five and walked four. He was relieved by Goswick in the sixth who recorded two outs and walked a batter. Jones pitched 1 1/3 innings and allowed a hit and struck out a batter.