Gatewood improved its record to 17-6 last week with a sweep of Windsor Academy and a big win over Pinewood Christian.
The wins are racking up for the Gators, impressing head coach Brandon Moss, who thinks the team is starting to peak at the right time.
“We have just hit our stride,” Moss said. “We were winning big games and playing decent ball pretty much from the beginning, except in the tournament in Hoover (Ala.), but we weren’t playing to the team’s full potential.
“We had some guys start slow. Had some guys go through some tough innings on the mound and needed to figure out how our lineup looked at its best and what that looked like. We had some kids competing for jobs that had to work itself out, but when we came back from spring break, the coaches all recognized that it was clicking.”
Gatewood proved it was firing on all cylinders last week, opening with a dominating performance against Windsor Academy.
The Gators pummeled the Knights 30-0 in their first matchup of the series. They collected 12 hits as a team and scored all of their runs in two innings to secure the lopsided win.
Jayden Moss posted an unbelievable performance, hammering three home runs in three at-bats for a total of 10 RBIs. Starting pitcher Wilson Moore struck out seven batters and gave up just one hit and a walk.
“Literally everyone up and down the lineup contributed with good at-bats,” Moss said. “We saw Wilson Moore come back that game and pitch excellent, which is something we really needed to see after a couple of tough outings, and then the next game was the complete opposite.”
Gatewood then faced a tough test against Pinewood. The Patriots traveled to Eatonton with only three losses, but the Gators proved they could take them down, winning a 1-0 thriller.
Walker Roberts had a strong performance on the mound. He pitched seven innings, giving up only three hits, and struck out seven batters with zero walks. However, the Gators struggled offensively. They only totaled four hits and scored zero runs in seven innings, just like Pinewood.
With the score tied 0-0, the game went to extra innings, where Gatewood walked it off in the bottom of the eighth after Lawson Moore held Pinewood scoreless in the top half of the frame. John Wallace Thompson drove in Ben Brannen for the winning run, securing the win for the Gators.
“It was an absolute pitchers’ duel between two fantastic starters on Senior Night,” Moss said. “Just a great game all the way around.”
Gatewood then faced Windsor Academy once more to end the week. However, this game wasn’t high-scoring, though the Gators did secure another shutout with a 7-0 victory over the Knights to keep their region record perfect.
Gatewood will be on the road this week, facing Pinewood Christian and First Presbyterian Day, with hopes of continuing its winning streak. The season will conclude next week, with playoffs starting May 9.