SAVANNAH, GA. – Despite losing the GISA Class AA state championship for a second straight year, Gatewood baseball head coach Brandon Moss is proud of his team.
The Gators battled Terrell Academy all weekend long but unfortunately didn’t come out on top.
“It was a long day, although we fought hard,” Moss said. “Sadly, Game 3 didn’t go our way.”
Gatewood showed a lot of grit against the Eagles, especially after losing Game 1 on Friday night by a score of 12-0. The Gators bounced right back with an 11-10 victory on Saturday afternoon, forcing a winner-take-all final contest.
Game 3 was to be played a few hours later following the final Class AAA title contest. However, the last game of the series between Gatewood and TAHS started after 10 p.m. on Saturday night at historic Grayson Stadium in Savannah.
The Gators led 7-2 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning behind a strong start on both sides of the ball, but that is when the Terrell Academy bats responded.
The Eagles plated six runs in the fourth inning. Their rally started with a Jay Austin solo home run off of Gatewood pitcher JW Thompson to lead things off. That offensive prowess continued and gave them an 8-7 lead heading into the fifth.
The Gators would tie the game in the next frame as Ben Brannen had a two-out RBI single, scoring Wilson Moore. Regardless, Terrell Academy scored two runs in the bottom half of the fifth inning to take a 10-8 lead, which secured the win.
The Eagles’ pitching staff was able to retire six-of-nine Gatewood hitters to end the contest. The Gators had a combined three baserunners reach in the sixth and seventh innings, but all were unable to cross the plate and score.
“These guys are such a young group and they are all so talented,” Moss said. “ We had five eighth-graders on last year’s team and they all moved up. … This group is going to be back there, I definitely see that. They work hard and listen well. They grew a lot this year and learned how to play well together.”
Gatewood is only losing one senior during the offseason. Gavin Fried was a leader on this year’s squad and his effort on the diamond will be greatly missed.
He was one of the Gators’ most productive hitters in 2022. He batted .373 during his senior campaign while managing to notch 19 hits and collect 20 RBIs.
“If there was a kid on the team that you looked at, and wanted your kid to follow someone, he’s that guy,” Moss said. “Gavin is the most respectful kid and never causes any problems. He’s always doing the things he needs to do to set a great example. Gavin was the perfect senior to have on the team this season.”
Gatewood returns the rest of its roster from this past season.
“We knew coming into this year that we would have a talented group,” Moss said. “ … We also picked up some pieces (in the offseason) like Wilson (Moore), Holden (Turner) and Trey (Wiggins). Those were just some guys we added and they were all huge pieces. … Also, every single one of our returning players is going to contribute.”
The Gators are looking to get back to the state title in 2023 and finally get over the hump, although they still have goals they need to accomplish along the way.
“You can’t get to the longterm without accomplishing the short-term goals first,” Moss said. “So, obviously, going into every year, you identify things from the season’s past and take them into the next year. It gives you something to build off of and improve on. … I am not afraid to say that every year our goals, especially with the group that we have, are to win the region and reach the state championship. Then we want to win it. … It’s as simple as that and I believe we can.”