Gatewood’s baseball team swept its way through region play this season on the way to a fourth consecutive region title.
The Gators (14-6, 4-0) defeated the Windsor Academy Knights 12-8 in Macon last Tuesday and 15-3 last Friday in Eatonton. Gatewood did suffer one mid-week loss, however, falling 12-10 on Thursday at Athens Christian Academy.
The next day, the Gators celebrated senior night with their only senior player, Ben Brannen. Brannen got the start on the mound and had a solid performance, allowing just three hits and three runs while also striking out three batters over three innings.
Freshman Bryce Larimore entered in relief and allowed just one hit and zero runs while striking out two over two innings.
Following the game, Gatewood head coach Brandon Moss said he was impressed by the Gators’ continued success at the plate.
“We have a really, really good offense. One through nine plus a couple of extra guys really can put some pressure on you,” Moss said. “Pitching, we need to figure it out a little bit, get some more depth there, get some outs when we don’t have our strongest arms on the mound.
“We’ve got to figure some things out there and defensively, but I love where we’re swinging the bats. I love having a strong offensive team. It’s fun to show up to the ballpark on days like that.”
The Gators showed off their powerful offense on Friday with 10 hits, 15 runs, seven walks, and just three strikeouts. Jayden Moss led the team in hits with two and one RBI, while Connor Mitchem hit a three-run homer in the first inning, scoring Lawson Moore and Jayden Moss.
Mitchem has continued to show more than just potential as a sophomore with 19 hits, 20 RBIs, and four home runs through 19 games so far this season.
With a fourth consecutive region title in hand, the Gators have come to expect to win their region every season, but its importance has not been diminished through all the success. Moss explained the importance of continuing to make sure the region title comes through Eatonton every spring.
“To us — to the players and to the coaches — it’s a big deal; you want to win region,” Moss said. “Number one, it helps with your rankings at the end of the season. Not only that but there’s pride within the region. You want people to know the region championship comes through us.
“We’ve made it that way and we continue to play well in region ball, and I hope we continue because that’s something that’s a pride thing.”
Still, Moss recognizes that even with all the offensive success, his Gators still have room for improvement.
“I would like to see us get more situationally aware on defense; I would like to see our pitchers limit big innings,” he said. “We could have won [at Athens Christian] had we not given up 11 runs in the first inning. It’s fine to give up a four-run inning, that happens, but you’ve got to eventually stop the bleeding and shut a team down so you can keep yourself in the ballgame.
Gatewood continued its regular season on Monday with a trip to Marietta that delivered a dominating 17-3 win over Dominion Christian. The Gators were scheduled to host Central Georgia Arts on Tuesday (past press time), followed by a trip to Macon this Thursday to take on First Presbyterian Day. They will wrap up their regular season with a home-and-away series next Wednesday and Friday, respectively, against Pinewood Christian.