GAINESVILLE — Nothing has come easy for the North Hall baseball team this season.
And it got a little bit harder after a gut-wrenching, 4-3 Region 8-AAAA loss to North Oconee in 10 innings Monday at Jody Davis Field.
The Trojans (17-8, 11-4 Region 8-AAAA) had a chance to wrap up second place in the region with a victory. Now, they will have to head to Bogart on Wednesday looking for a way turn the tables on the Titans (15-8, 12-3).
A North Hall win will give the Trojans second place based on their sweep of Madison County while the Titans split against the Red Raiders.
“We certainly wanted to win it tonight but now we’ll have to go down there and see if we can get the second one,” North Hall coach Trent Mongero said. “This is playoff baseball. It’s like losing the first game (of a series) and then coming back to win the second one. We’ve been in these scenarios many times before.”
For 6 1/3 innings the Trojans were poised to make Wednesday’s matchup meaningless. Sophomore starter Reese Olson scattered five hits and allowed no runs until running into trouble in the seventh with North Hall leading 3-0. He outdueled fellow sophomore Kumar Rocker, who is considered to be among the top sophomore pitchers in the nation.
In the key seventh inning, Evan Meade led off with a solo home run and then Rocker reached on an error and Hunter Jordan singled to knock out Reese. Trojans’ closer Drew Atha came on in relief and got Josh Farmer for a quick out. But Jacob Odom fought off several third strike pitches and eventually roped a double to center scoring Rocker and Jordan to tie the game at 3. Atha got out of the jam striking out Brian Mauldin and getting Wes Snyder to pop to first.
It stayed that way until the 10th when Snyder walked with two outs and then scored on Tanner Green’s triple for the game-winner off Atha.
“It was a tough finish for the guys but it was an unbelievable high school baseball game,” Mongero said. “They got some breaks at the end and we hit some balls right at guys at the end. But we told the guys that all they have to do is win Wednesday and it’ll be like this one never happened.”
Rocker went six innings allowing three runs on seven hits and struck out just two. Tristan Thompson got the win for the Titans going four innings allowing no runs on just two hits and striking out four. He worked around a lead-off walk to Jake Chester in the 10th to close out the victory.
Both Olson and Rocker worked around base runners in the first. Olson walked Green with one out but Green was hit by the ball between first and second on a potential single by Thompson to end the inning.
In the bottom of the inning Rocker hit Austin Adams with one out and then Atha reached on an error to put runners at the corners with one for the Trojans. But Rocker got Fowler Brooks to hit into a double play to end the inning.
Olson got the Titans in order in the second and then the Trojans offense tried to put something together. Chester walked with one-out, stole second, and then moved to third on a Maddux Dill ground out. But Rocker struck out Clark Hill to end the inning stranding a second North Hall runner at third in as many innings.
Olson got out of trouble in the third getting Mauldin to line into a double play to Hill at second. In the bottom of the third Taber Mongero got the first hit of the game for either team with a single to left and then moved to second on an error on a grounder hit by Caleb Clark. Atha followed with a two-RBI single to center to give the Trojans a 2-0 lead and Brooks followed with another single to center with one out. Atha moved to third with two out but became the third runner stranded at third in the first three innings.
Meanwhile, Olson had the Titans off-stride. He faced just one over the minimum and had no-hitter after four innings. He allowed one walk and another batter reached on a passed ball third strike but was erased on the double play in the third.
Meade broke up Olson’s no-hitter with a long double to center to lead off the fifth. He moved to third with one out on a ground out by Rocker. But Olson got out of the jam getting Jordan to pop to first and then Farmer grounded to end the inning to keep it a 2-0 North Hall lead.
North Hall added on in the fifth when Atha reached on a bloop double, stole third, and then scored on a RBI single by Jackson Latty.
Olson encountered his with first major jam in the sixth. Odom doubled to lead off but was picked off by Olson for the first out. After a diving catch by Atha for the second out, Snyder singled and Green walked to put two runners on base against Olson for the first time in the game. But Olson got Thompson to ground out to first to end the inning and keep it a 3-0 North Hall lead.
Thompson replaced Rocker in the bottom of the seventh. In the North Hall seventh, Brooks doubled with two out and moved to third on a wild pitch. But Thompson struck out Latty to get out of the mess.
Atha gave the Trojans a chance to rally retiring eight straight batters he faced through the ninth innings, including four strikeouts,.
In the bottom of the ninth, Mongero beat out an infield hit to lead off and then moved to second on a wild pitch with no one out. After a long flyout by John Mark Montgomery, the Titans intentionally walked Atha to set up a double play with Brooks coming to bat. But Thompson got out of the jam getting Brooks to line to second and then striking out Latty to send it to the 10th inning.
One area the Trojans will need to improve will be in bringing in base runners. They stranded 12 for the game, at least one in every inning except the eighth, eight in scoring position, and five at third alone.
“Their guys made pitches when they needed too. But, we need to find ways to get those guys in, for sure,” Mongero said.
NOTES: The Titans now have won three straight and 10 of their last 11 overall. ... North Oconee is now 7-3 on the road with their only losses coming to No. 2 Buford, Class AAAAA No. 2 Gainesville, and AAAAA Effingham County. ... The loss for the Trojans snapped their five-game winning streak. They are now just 6-5 at home this season.
