Since Gatewood’s baseball team (9-4, 5-0) got back on track with a 16-0 win at Central Fellowship Christian Academy (CFCA) on March 20, the Gators have strung together two more wins for a three-game win streak and a 5-0 record in region competition.
The team earned a pair of region wins over Brentwood last Tuesday and Friday, beating the War Eagles 10-3 in Eatonton and 12-2 in Sandersville.
“Early on, it can be hard to find your footing. Play and results haven’t established any foundation, and the ups and the downs seem larger,” Gatewood head coach Brandon Moss said. “Once a foundation is built and you build some resilience by bouncing back after a tough game, the guys start to play more loosely and confident.”
Gatewood clearly played with more confidence, especially on the mound, as its pitchers allowed just three hits and three runs in the first game against Brentwood and five hits but only two runs in the second win over the War Eagles.
On Tuesday, Ben Pearson had his best game on the mound this season, striking out six batters while allowing only two hits and one earned run in five innings of work. Fellow sophomore Blake Brannen came in relief and allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out three batters.
At Brentwood on Friday, Jayden Moss started on the mound for Gatewood, but had a rough start, allowing four hits and two runs over three innings. Lawson Moore came in relief of Moss and continued his impressive season by allowing just one hit with zero runs while walking just one batter and striking out 11 over four innings.
Along with their success on the mound, sophomores Moss and Moore impressed at the plate, too, as both hit home runs in Friday’s win at Brentwood.
Moss hit a two-run homer that also scored Ben Brannen to give the Gators a 4-1 lead in the top of the third inning. Moore hit his home run in the top of the sixth inning, when he sent the ball deep to right field, driving in himself along with brothers Ben and Blake Brannen to extend Gatewood’s lead to 8-2.
Coach Moss said he was not surprised to see growth from his young pitching staff through the challenges of the season.
“Every pitcher we have except for one is a sophomore or younger, so we knew it would take some time for roles to develop and for confidence to be gained,” Moss said.
“With young pitchers, they are going to take lumps and learn some things the hard way. But along the way, they build resilience, and they learn what works and what doesn’t. They learn how important it is to get ahead in counts, maintain count leverage, and put hitters away as quickly as possible. These things can be talked about, but a pitcher can only truly learn from experience.”
The Gators faced a tougher schedule this week, including a Monday visit to the GHSA Class 4A Druid Hills in Atlanta.
Gatewood then returned home to play Dominion Christian on Tuesday before hosting Augusta Christian (10-4) in a 5:30 p.m. start on Thursday.