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Gilmer nips Spring Hill to lead district

By MARY L. KIRBY
Gilmer and Spring Hill battled until the last run scored in a game which determined the lead in the race for the District 15-3A championship Friday. When the dust settled from the final slide into home plate, the Buckeyes had a thrilling 3-2 win over the Panthers.

It was Senior Night, and the seven Buckeye seniors could not have asked for a better ending. The win puts Gilmer in first place in District 15-3A with one game remaining in the race. It also meant that the Buckeyes never lost a game at home in their senior year.

Jake Ashley, Garrett Adkins, Kyle Bowden and Brennan Thompson are graduating starters, with Justin Fielden the leading pitcher with a 10-0 senior record. All five of these Buckeyes have been on the varsity since their freshmen year. Colton Shaver and David Smith fill out the group soon to graduate.

Friday’s game found both sides playing their best, error-free ball, and leaving the outcome up for grabs until the final hit by D.J. Stanley, a .220 batter.

The seventh inning saw Spring Hill find a way to take the lead, 2-1, with two runs, and the Panther fans scream their pleasure at coming from behind. Everything would change minutes later.

Gilmer first grabbed the lead in the second inning when the first baseman, Garrett Adkins, lumbered like the offensive lineman he was last fall, from third to steal home before the throw from Spring Hill’s pitcher, Garrett Methvin to Evan Small, the catcher.

For the next four innings, Gilmer clung to the 1-0 lead as the tension built. Jake Ashley was downing the Panthers in order until Jake Fudge hit a double in the fifth where he was left stranded.

But Methvin was doing equally well for the Panthers, striking out all three Buckeyes at the bottom of the sixth. “I looked at the charts and saw where Jake had thrown only 85 pitches to that point,” Hector explained after the game. “Methvin coming into the seventh had thrown 97.

“I had told the kids to work him for as many pitches as they could in order to tire him out and they had,” Hector continued. “I liked our circumstances.”

With two outs in the top of the seventh, Spring Hill’s Miles Peloquin worked the count against Ashley to gain a walk. Panther Brandon Arden then hit to right, with Hunter Harrison holding up the runner at third, but sacrificing the play at first as he did.

On a full count, Spring Hill’s Scott Powell dropped a hit over second, scoring Peloquin and Arden, and sending the large crowd of Spring Hill supporters into ecstasy.

The Buckeyes responded to the challenge with runs of their own. After Paul Chesnut struck out, Dustin Hardin worked the count for a walk. Mikey Wilson came in as a courtesy runner and promptly stole second.

Dustin Varnado then singled to right. A throw home prevented Hardin from scoring, leaving runners at the corners.

Then D.J. Stanley, noted for his pitching skills, came up with the winning hit, a single up the middle which drove in the winning run.

The Buckeye fans roared their approval, the Buckeyes jumped each other with hugs and high fives, and the Panthers gathered up their gear.

“The fan support was tremendous,” Hector said concerning the large crowd which filled the bleachers and their lawn chairs. Many on the Gilmer side were parents attending their first game of the year, perhaps their first since their son graduated.

With the win, Gilmer improves to 17-6, 8-1 in district, with the last game against Gladewater, the only other team in the district to beat Spring Hill.

The Panthers fall to 19-4, 7-2 in District 15-3A, with three of the losses coming in the last two weeks.




Mirror Photo / Mary Laschinger Kirby
AS BUCKEYES SWARM over their teammates who scored the winning runs, Mikey Wilson (3), and Dustin Varnado, left, others turn to congratulate D.J. Stanley on scoring the winning run. From left are Brennan Thompson, Justin Fielden, Hayden Holmes, Paul Chesnut, Garrett Adkins, and Kyle Bowden. The win puts Gilmer in the lead to win district with the final game Tuesday, April 22.

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