Gilmer High baseball continued region play last week and were able to get back into the win column.
GHS faced the White County Warriors for a three-game series over the course of the week. Game one was at home Monday and GHS fell, 15-2. Three days later the teams met in Cleveland, and the Bobcats were able to earn a 3-2 victory.
The rubber match was played Friday in Ellijay, and the Warriors secured a 7-1 win to take the series.
WCHS outhit GHS 11-4 Monday. Of the Warriors’ 15 runs, five were unearned and attributed to four Bobcat errors. GHS used three pitchers on the day, and it was a close game through three innings.
White plated a run in the second and added six more in the fourth. GHS committed an error to start the fourth. While the Warriors did have three singles in the inning, they were aided by a pair of walks and a hit batter.
Spencer Merritt led off Gilmer’s half of the inning with a single and later scored when Ethan McCollum singled to center. Pinch runner Billy Goswick later scored on a bases loaded wild pitch.
With a 7-2 lead, White put the game away with an eight-run sixth inning. Four of the runs were unearned, but the Warriors still tallied five hits in the inning and two walks.
When GHS was unable to cut the Warriors’ advantage to fewer than 10 runs, the game was called at the end of the sixth. Brock Titus and Branson Teague also had a hit for Gilmer on the day.
The Bobcats got their offense going early Thursday. A pair of walks to start the game was followed by a Merritt sacrifice fly. GHS moved ahead 2-0 when Titus singled.
A two-out error with a runner on third allowed White to score a run in the bottom of the first. In the fourth, a walk and sacrifice bunt advanced a runner into scoring position. A base hit to right field evened the score at 2-2.
GHS used some small-ball tactics in its next at-bat. Kobe Stonecipher reached on a bunt to begin fifth. He motored to second on a Carter Jones sacrifice bunt. Stonecipher stole third and trotted home on a Warrior error.
White threatened in its half of the fifth but could not advance the runner beyond second base. In the seventh, three walks loaded the bases with one out. Gilmer secured the win with a pair of fly outs.
Jess Buckner started the game for GHS and pitched 3 1/3 innings. He struck out three, walked one and allowed five hits and one walk in the win. Teague got the save and tossed the final 3 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out two and did not allow any hits.
Four Gilmer errors led to three unearned runs in Friday’s series finale.
The Warriors struck for three runs in the first inning off one hit. They benefited from two Bobcat errors and a dropped third strike, which plated a run and prolonged the inning.
WCHS added a fourth run in the third without getting a hit. A batter plunked by a pitch with two outs and was followed by two stolen bases. Another dropped third strike kept the inning going, and the second wild pitch of the frame scored a run.
GHS plated a run in its half of the third. Buckner doubled and scored after two Warrior errors.
A walk and consecutive ground outs increased Whites’ lead to 5-1 in the fifth. WCHS loaded the bases in the seventh with no outs. A sacrifice fly added a sixth run, and a base hit to center made the score 7-1 in White’s favor.
Gilmer was unable to mount a comeback in its last at-bat.
Buckner and Gabe Wolfson both had two hits for GHS while Merritt and Grant Cochran collected one apiece.
Bobcat Seth Darling allowed two earned runs in five innings of work while striking out seven and walking four. Jones tossed the final two innings and gave up two hits, two earned runs, two walks and struck out three.
The Bobcats have a 4-15 overall record and will take on the Dawson County Tigers this week. Game two will be on the road Wednesday, and game three will be Friday in Ellijay. Both games are set to begin at 5:55 p.m.