Gilmer High took the field for four more baseball games last week to close out the season.
GHS met the Cherokee Bluff Bears (20-9 overall) for its region finale. The Bears hosted Monday and Friday’s games while game two was played Wednesday in Ellijay.
The Bobcats were defeated in all three games and fell by scores of 14-5, 22-9 and 7-0. Gilmer also played Southeast Whitfield Thursday for a nonregion game and lost, 6-5.
Cherokee Bluff tallied 13 hits in game one. The Bears led 3-0 after an inning and 5-0 after two. They added four runs in each of their next two at-bats to open a 13-2 advantage.
GHS kept the game going with two runs in the fifth and another in the sixth. CBHS answered with a final run in its half of the sixth for an 11-run win.
Branson Teague and Brock Titus both recorded two hits for GHS. Spencer Merritt collected a pair of RBIs, and both Gabe Wolfson and Titus knocked in a run.
Gilmer committed three errors on the day, which led to six unearned runs. Freshman Ethan McCollum started the game for GHS and pitched three innings (7 H, 4 ER, 1 K 2 BB) and was relieved by Carter Jones (1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 K 1 BB), Teague (1 IP, 0 H 0 ER) and Grant Cochran (1 IP, O ER, 2 BB).
There was plenty of runs to go around through three innings of play Wednesday. The Bears led 3-0 after an inning and 4-2 following the second before GHS came alive for six runs in the third to pull ahead, 8-3.
However, GHS only plated one more run over the reminder of the game. The Bears added two runs in the fourth and fifth innings, three in the sixth and eight in the seventh.
Teague was Gilmer’s top performer with two hits and three RBIs. Jess Buckner, Titus and Seth Darling all knocked in a run. Wolfson was there for two hits, and Buckner, Merritt and Kobe Stonecipher had one apiece.
GHS pitchers included Buckner (4 IP, 8 ER, 2 K), Cochran (2 IP, 3 ER, 1 K), Billy Goswick (4 ER, 3 BB) and Jones ( 1 IP, 0 ER). Nine Bear runs were unearned and attributed to five GHS errors.
Gilmer was limited to three hits Friday, and Teague was there for two and McCollum had one. CBHS collected nine hits and scored a run in the first, third and sixth innings and two in the second and fourth frames.
Teague started the game on the mound and went 3 2/3 innings (8 H, 6 ER, 2 K, 2 BB) and was later relieved by McCollum (1 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 K 2 BB) and Cochran (2/3 IP, 0 ER, 1 K).
Southeast did not waste any time Thursday, and GHS was left playing from behind.
SHS plated five runs in the first inning, and three were unearned. A hit batter and consecutive walks loaded the bases before a double scored two runs. An ensuing error made it 3-0 before a single and errant throw gave the Raiders a 5-0 advantage.
Southeast’s final run came in the second. After recording two outs, a GHS error and consecutive walks loaded the bases. A wild pitch allowed the Raiders to extend their lead to 6-0.
Gilmer’s first run came in the third and was unearned. In the fourth, a two-out single by Teague trimmed the Raiders’ lead to four.
Gilmer got its rally going in the seventh with a walk and hit batter to start the inning. An error plated the Cats’ third run, and a Wolfson base hit made the score 6-4. Titus grounded into a fielder’s choice for the Bobcats’ fifth run but was eventually stranded at third base to end the game.
GHS finished the season with a 5-24 overall record.