GAINESVILLE — By definition, a perfect game is a no-hitter and a shutout, and a pitcher cannot allow any hits, walks, hit batsmen, or any opposing player to reach base for any reason.
Yeah, that's difficult and very rare.
North Hall's Eli Reece joined the perfect game club on Monday to lead the No. 2 Trojans (6-3, 1-0 Region 7-3A) past Gilmer, 11-0, at Lynn Cottrell Field.
"He’s earned everything that he gets," North Hall coach Trevor Flow said. "He made a slight adjustment Friday after having a little control issue and it paid off tonight. The kid has been in our program and camp since he was 8 years old and he does everything the right way. He’s the type of kid that’s easy to cheer for and that you want to have success. When you think of a kid that you want to represent your program you think of Eli."
Reece represented well on Monday, tossing a complete five-inning game, allowing no runs, no hits, no base runners and struck out seven Bobcats.
The Trojans were up 3-0 heading into what would be an explosive fourth inning. North Hall started the inning's scoring burst when Jace Bowen reached on an error, a Hudson Barrett walk, then Bradford Puryear was hit by a pitch.
Gilmer's Billy Goswick tossed his second walk of the inning, scoring Bowen. Later in the inning, Tate Brooks singled in Barrett, Cooper Helton singled in AJ Jones, Hunter Brooks walked and scored Bales to go up 7-0. On the next at-bat, Crumpton grounded out but scored Glover to take an 8-0 advantage.
Bowen, in his second at-bat of the inning, singled this time, scoring Helton, and two batters later, Bowen scored off an error by the shortstop to push the Trojans ahead 11-0.
Reece sat the Bobcats down in order in the top of the fifth, including two strikeouts to seal the mercy-rule win.
