The Gatewood Gators were able to capture their first win of the baseball season on Feb. 27 against Stratford Academy in a 5-1 victory.
However, they came up just short against Pinewood Christian in a 9-8 loss the next day.
The Gators have continued to play tough baseball against all their competition but have little to show for it in the win column, but that does not tell the team’s full story over four games in two weeks.
The Gators held an 8-5 lead over Pinewood before the Patriots were able to rally in the seventh inning to take a 9-8 lead that would carry them to a late-game victory.
The Gators otherwise had a strong showing against one of the top teams in the GIAA, holding Pinewood to only three hits and one run through three innings with Wilson Moore on the mound.
Moore also tallied six strikeouts in his outing as the starter. Ames Johnson had a great night at the plate, batting .750 with three hits in four plate appearances, including a double and two RBIs.
Caleb Riser had a successful night as well, having walked twice and singled once in four plate appearances on the night.
As for the Gators’ victory the night before, they were in control for the entire game. Holding a 1-0 lead into the fifth, they had a four-run inning that give them a 5-0 lead.
The Gators would give up only one run in the sixth inning, making it a 5-1 victory over the Stratford Eagles. John Wallace Thompson arguably had the best outing of any Gatewood pitcher this season. In six innings, he gave up only two hits and one unearned run, tallying five strikeouts and a win.
Mason Sinclair came on in relief duty, pitching one inning with one strikeout and zero hits allowed.
The Gators’ first matchup of the season with Robert Toombs came on Monday afternoon, when the Gators jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning thanks to an Ames Johnson single that scored Hunter Johnson. Later, Ames Johnson scored on a wild pitch to make it a 2-0 game. An error throw to second base scored Walker Roberts, giving Gatewood a 3-0 lead.
Ames Johnson and Wilson Moore scored two runs in the third inning, and John Wallace Thompson scored on a wild pitch before Hunter Johnson crossed the plate on a pitching error in the fourth inning.
On the mound, Thompson held the Crusader batters to three hits while striking out three and walking three through five innings of work.
In the sixth, the Gators racked up their eighth run of the game when Hunter Johnson made it home safely before another Gatewood player was tagged out at second base for the third out.
The Gators would go on to win 8-0 with pitchers Holden Turner and Walker Brannen throwing the final two innings, striking out three batters and allowing no runs between the two. Gatewood played Vidalia Heritage Tuesday and plays Robert Toombs in Eatonton again Friday.