After a doubleheader sweep on the road last Tuesday against region rivals Westminster Christian in Watkinsville, followed by a non-region, Thursday night win in Macon over First Presbyterian Day, the Gatewood Gators are riding a seven-game winning streak.
The Gators took game one over Westminster 11-0 in five innings and ended game two with a 9-3 score.
In the opener, Ben Brannen scored three runs, Caleb Riser and Ames Johnson each crossed the plate twice, while Walker Roberts, John Wallace Thompson, Lawson Wooten and Drew Love accounted for one run apiece.
Robert’s score came off hitting the lone home run of the game and he also went the distance on the mound, throwing 71 pitches, notching 13 strikeouts and allowing just one hit.
In game two, Gatewood jumped out to a lead in the first inning on an error by the Westminster shortstop that gave Wilson Moore first base and scored Tanner Johnson. Wallace Thompson then sent Moore home with a single to right field.
Walker Brannen was the Gators’ first of six pitchers for the second game and recorded one out before giving up a hit in the bottom of the first that scored Westminster’s opening run of the game.
Gatewood went three-up, three-down in the top of the second before Mason Sinclair took over the mound for Gatewood and gave up the tying run. A Wallace Thompson single that scored Lawson Wooten reclaimed a 3-2 Gators lead in the third before Holden Turner came on to pitch and recorded three outs to give Westminster its first scoreless inning.
Neither team scored in the fourth, but Gatewood extended its lead in the top of the fifth with a ground out by Love that scored both Jackson Hewatt and Carson Fried, who stole home.
The Lions got their final run in the sixth before Gatewood essentially put the game out of reach with four more scores in the top of the seventh from Riser, Johnson, and one more each from Wooten and Moore.
Jake Rich came on in the seventh inning to close out the game for the Gators, facing four batters and striking out two while allowing one hit to secure the win for the Gators.
Gatewood next traveled to Macon on Thursday for a matchup with the First Presbyterian Day (FPD) Vikings.
Gatewood opened by loading the bases before Wooten was walked to score Riser and give the Gators a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Wooten got the start on the bump for the Gators and gave up a hit with two outs in the first before FPD scored on a dropped third strike to bring the score to a 1-1 tie at the end of the first inning.
The Gatewood bats came alive in the top of the second, delivering seven more runs by the time the inning ended.
A pair of scores reclaimed the lead for Gatewood as a double by Johnson put Wallace Thompson and Riser across the plate. Another double from Roberts followed to score Johnson, followed by a pair of singles by Wooten and Dylan Sinclair that sent Roberts and Moore home. One more hit made the score 8-1 Gators, as a single by Wallace Thompson scored Wooten and Dylan Sinclair.
When the Vikings finally took over at bat, Wooten struck out the side to end the second inning. After three scoreless innings for both sides, Roberts knocked another ball out of the park for the Gators’ final run. It marked just the second homer of the season for Gatewood and the second home run for Roberts this season, as well.
Wallace Thompson came on in relief of Wooten, who pitched five innings and gave up only one hit, one run, one walk, and struck out six batters to earn the win. Thompson threw the final two innings, giving up one run and walking three batters, but giving up zero hits and striking out one.
Gatewood’s victory boosted their record to 8-3 overall and 4-0 in region 4 AA play.
The Gators played Monday in Bellville against the Pinewood Christian Academy Patriots and hosted Brentwood Tuesday (both games past the print deadline), before visiting Brentwood Friday for the second game of a home-and-home region series.