The penultimate week of the regular season kept the Gilmer High Lady Cats on the softball diamond.
GHS played two region games and three nonregion contests over a five-day span. The Cats hosted region foe Northwest Whitfield Tuesday before an away game against the Pickens Dragonettes.
NHS defeated GHS 7-0 while the Cats topped Pickens in eight innings, 4-3. In between those games, the Cats traveled to Union County and lost to the Panthers, 4-3.
“The win was a confidence builder for sure,” coach Amanda Mullis said of the Pickens victory.
“We actually made plays. We caught fly balls and got down bunts, and it’s finally something we got done in one game. It showed it’s successful when it works. Pickens dropped several fly balls in the outfield, and it made a difference on some of those runs.”
Northwest banged out 14 hits on the day and took advantage of a Lady Cat error for an unearned run.
NHS jumped to a 3-0 lead after the first, added a run in the third and fourth innings, and two more Bruins touched home plate in the sixth.
Emily Dale had Gilmer’s only hit on the day. Macy Hamby tossed all seven innings and struck out five and walked two.
It was off to Union County the next day, and all of the Lady Cats’ runs were scored in the first inning.
Gilmer’s Jasmine Staley slashed a double to right field to score Dale and Maddie Wright, who were hit by a pitch and reached on an error, respectively. Staley scored when Jacie Bennett grounded out.
Union’s lead off at-bat concluded with a solo home run. A two-out double cut into the Cats’ lead, 3-2.
Two innings later, the Panthers scored the final runs of the game. A lead off error and double evened the score. An ensuing sacrifice bunt moved Union ahead for good.
Dale and Wright each collected hits before the game was over, but the Cats were unable to advance a runner beyond second base over their final four at-bats.
Union scored two unearned runs and tallied five hits. Isabella Chastain pitched all six innings for GHS and struck out six.
On the road at Pickens, the Cats did not waste much time. Dale and Wright reached base and Staley’s triple gave GHS its first run. A sacrifice bunt by Hamby plated Gilmer’s second run of the inning.
PHS got a run back in the fourth with a two-out triple. However, Staley pushed Gilmer’s lead back to two runs with a RBI single in the top of the fifth.
Pickens answered again in the bottom half of the inning with a two-out RBI. In the seventh, the Dragonettes evened the score with another two-out base hit to right.
Hamby’s lead off triple set the stage in the eighth inning. She scored when Bennett flew out to right field. When the Dragonettes came to bat, they were retired in order.
The win marked Gilmer’s second against Pickens this season. Chastain tossed a complete game and gave up nine hits, a walk and struck out six.
The end of the week took GHS to Ringgold’s Jack Mattox Park for two games Saturday. Gilmer earned a 6-5 win over North Murray and fell to Sonoraville, 7-3.
“I was very proud of Saturday,” Mullis said. “After Thursday’s win we had a new demeanor on the team and we need that right now because we’re probably going to see Pickens again (in the first round of the region tournament).”
GHS hosted Heritage at press deadline and will celebrate its seniors prior to Thursday’s game against Southeast Whitfield.