Wolverines Come Up Short Against Rams, Ramblers; Will Face NSM Bison on Friday
By EDDY GIFFORD
Sports Writer
The Dade County High School Wolverine baseball team traveled to Sylvania, Ala., on Tuesday, Feb. 21 for a game against the Rams.
The Rams took the lead in the bottom of the second inning when they scored three runs on two hits and a walk. It would remain 3-0 until the top of the fourth inning when the Wolverines tied the game with three runs of their own. Dade picked up their three runs on just one hit, a hit batter, and three walks.
Photo by Eddy Gifford – Mason Gatlin fields a ground ball in recent action as the baseball season is in full swing. The Wolverines are currently 3-2 and have three games scheduled this week before starting region play on March 7 at home against the Chattooga Indians.
In the bottom of the fourth, Sylvania answered the Wolverines with six runs to regain the lead, scoring on four hits, three walks, and a pair of errors to take the lead again, 9-3.
DCHS answered their six runs with four of them in the top of the fifth to keep the game close at 9-7. The four runs came on three hits, two errors, and a walk.
The Rams scored again in the bottom of the sixth to lead 10-7.
In the top of the seventh inning, the Wolverines scored three runs to tie the game at 10-10, picking up three hits and a pair of walks in the process.
In the bottom of the seventh, Sylvania had a runner reach base on an error and later scored on a pass ball to win the wild game.
The two teams scored a combined 21 runs on 18 hits, 12 walks, and 10 errors. The Wolverines committed eight errors in the game.
Caleb Massey led the Wolverines with three hits and scored two runs, while Levi McKaig had two hits and four RBIs and Harley Russell had two hits and two RBIs.
Eli Kimball pitched four innings, giving up seven hits, nine runs (only five earned), striking out two, and walking four. Jake Harris took the loss, pitching two innings of hitless ball, striking out two and walking one, and giving up two unearned runs.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Dade 0 0 0 3 4 0 3 10 11 8
Sylvania 0 3 0 6 0 1 1 11 07 2
On Wednesday afternoon, the Wolverines hosted the LaFayette Ramblers in a non-region game.
Dade County got off to a good start with three first inning hits and a pair of walks that produced two runs and a 2-0 lead.
The Ramblers would score their first runs of the game in the third inning when they plated three runs on three hits and a pair of Wolverine errors to take the lead, 3-2.
Dade tied the game in the bottom of the third on one hit to make it 3-3.
LaFayette had a big fourth inning, scoring six big runs on just four hits to take the lead for good at 9-3.
The Wolverines tried to answer in the bottom of the fourth, scoring two runs on three hits to close the gap to 9-5 but would not get any closer.
The Ramblers added another run in the top of the fifth to make it 10-5 and the final two innings were scoreless giving LaFayette the win 10-5.
Massey again led the Wolverines with three hits while Gatlin and Kimball had two hits each and Williams had one hit and three RBIs.
Gatlin took the loss, pitching four innings, giving up nine hits, nine runs (no earned runs), striking out five, and walking one. Jax Guinn pitched three innings, giving up one hit, one run (unearned), striking out two, and walking one.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
LaFay. 0 0 3 6 1 0 0 10 10 0
Dade 2 0 1 2 0 0 0 05 10 5
This week, the Wolverines were scheduled to travel to LaFayette on Monday to face the Ramblers and host Ider High School on Tuesday.
Dade travels to North Sand Mountain on Friday afternoon with first pitch at 6 p.m.
Region 7 A action will start Tuesday, March 7 at home against the Chattooga Indians.