Baseball: Gainesville claims Region 8-AAAAA title in style

GAINESVILLE - History repeating itself can be good thing.

As the Gainesville baseball team learned Wednesday, however, so can learning from past mistakes in an effort not to make them again.

Two days removed from a no-hit performance by Chandler Newton en route to a 15-0 win against Apalachee and five days removed from losing only their second game of the season, the Red Elephants (22-3, 14-2 Region 8-AAAAA) showed no mercy in beating Region 8-AAAAA opponent Apalachee once again, this time 10-0, in five innings.

"You don't ever want to lose," said Gainesville coach Jeremy Kemp, "but we had our best practice of the year the practice after (the Flowery Branch loss) and a great one again yesterday.

"The kids realize we've got to focus."

With the win, the Red Elephants earned the Region 8-AAAAA championship outright.

"It feels good (to win region)," Kemp said, "but we've already moved on and have started to think and worry about the first round of state."

The aforementioned focus was laser-sharp in Gainesville's last home game of the regular season as ace Michael Gettys pitched four innings of two-hit, 10-strikeout baseball.

"Michael looked great," said Kemp. "Then Sims (Griffith) came in and looked good for us,"

All told, Gainesville's pitching and defense held Apalachee to just four hits on the day.

Griffith was also a catalyst at the plate for the state's top-ranked team, going 3 for 3 with an RBI and two runs scored, the second putting the proverbial nail in the game's coffin in the fifth.

Despite the outcome, Gainesville's offense moved slowly, netting the majority of its runs in the fourth inning, six to be exact.

Luke Maddox got things started with a double. He scored on a Gettys sac fly. Three straight singles by Griffith, Skyler Weber and Caleb Whitenton loaded the bases with Griffith scoring when Hunter Anglin drew a walk.

A Luke Moore single scored Weber and then Brandon Sewell cleared the bases with a three-run triple.

Weber, Moore, Sewell and Maddox each went 2 for 3 on the day.

"The kids are playing good and confident," Kemp said. "The thing is though, we still feel like we can play better."

The Red Elephants round out the regular season Thursday at Winder-Barrow and then will host the first round of the state playoffs.

"Anytime you get to play at home...at Ivey-Watson Field, it's an advantage," Kemp said. "We have momentum going into the playoffs because we're playing well, but really our momentum starts with getting to play at home."