On Friday, however, the Hornets' solid proved no match for the Red Elephants' power.
Gainesville belted four home runs and dazzled Hornets batters for 25 strikeouts in a doubleheader sweep in the first round of the Class AAAAA playoffs, winning Game 1 7-4 and taking the series in a 5-1 Game 2 victory at Ivey-Watson Field.
Four different Red Elephants batters supplied the blasts, while Michael Gettys and Jonathan Gettys earned the wins on the mound -- Michael striking out 10 batters in Game 1 and Jonathan fanning 12 in Game 2 -- overcoming slick conditions and a steady mist that threatened to become the biggest story of the night.
"I'm thankful that it's over; those were terrible conditions for both teams, and I'm proud of our team for focusing through it and getting the job done," Gainesville coach Jeremy Kemp said.
The sweep in the best-of-three format moved Gainesville (25-3) into the second round of the playoffs, where it will play host to the winner of the Creekview vs. Lakeside, DeKalb match-up beginning on Wednesday.
And while the Red Elephants would love to have more home runs like the ones Hunter Anglin, Luke Moore, Brandon Sewell and Caleb Whitenton -- who finished the series 4-for-7 with three RBIs -- provided on Friday, Kemp says his team can't rely on continued power surges.
"It's nice when it happens, but we've got to move people over, and we did that a few times today," Kemp said. "But we do have to do a better job at the plate with men in scoring position. Hopefully we will on Wednesday."
Gainesville stranded eight batters in scoring position, but the missed opportunities didn't haunt the Red Elephants thanks in large part to their pitching -- including Anglin and Chandler Newton, who slammed the door in the seventh innings of Game 1 and 2, respectively.
"Michael's always a Bulldog, no matter where or when you play," Kemp said. "And Jonathan, we were a little worried about starting a freshman in the playoffs but that might have been the best he's looked all season."
GAME 1: GAINESVILLE 7, HIRAM 4
Gainesville cruised through the first four innings, storming to a 6-0 lead on the strength of home runs from Anglin and Whitenton.
Both Anglin and Whitenton finished the game 2-for-4 with two-run blasts -- Anglin's in the first inning, Whitenton's in the third. Skyler Weber also finished 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI.
"It's nice to be able to do that and also trust your teammates to hit home runs," Whitenton said. "We wanted to get up on (Hiram) early and end it quick."
Anglin's and Whitenton's homers appeared more than Red Elephants starter Michael Gettys would need, as the junior allowed just two hits and struck out six through four innings -- part of 10 strikeouts on the day. But Hiram refused to yield and chipped its way back into the contest in the fifth and sixth.
The Hornets loaded the bases with no outs in both fifth and sixth, using infield singles and bloop hits to put a scare into the Region 8-AAAAA champs. Gettys minimized the damage in the fifth, allowing just one run on an RBI fielder's choice from Jordan Lester sandwiched between strikeouts to trim Gainesville's lead to 6-1.
Yet Hiram's Thomas Gaines and Lucas Davis tightened the contest in the sixth with RBIs that -- along with a Red Elephants error -- helped the Hornets to pull within 6-4.
Gainesville maintained control of the contest, however, and pulled a run back in the bottom of the sixth on an sacrifice fly from Weber. The three-run cushion was more than the Red Elephants needed, as Anglin came in to pitch the seventh in relief and sent Hiram down 1-2-3 to secure the victory and give the Red Elephants a 1-0 lead in the series.
Gettys finished the contest allowing seven hits, while the Red Elephants touched up Lester for 10 hits over six innings. The Hiram starter did fan seven Gainesville batters, however.
Luke Maddox also finished 2-for-3 in the win, while Luke Moore doubled.
GAME 2: GAINESVILLE 5, HIRAM 1
The long ball continued to work for Gainesville. This time it was Moore crushing a solo shot to right field in the top of second for a 2-0 lead. The senior's blast added to an opportunistic start from the Red Elephants, who made the most of a first-inning error from the Hornets on a drive from Whitenton up the middle that scored Sims Griffith.
Sewell then took his turn at the launching pad in the fourth inning -- and busted an 0-4 performance in the series in emphatic fashion in the process -- crushing a three-run blast over the right field fence for a 5-0 lead. The shot scored Whitenton and Moore and set Gainesville on its way to the second round.
"Brandon had had a rough say to that point, but that was a huge hit, and that's what he's done for us all season," Kemp said. "They kept betting he couldn't hit that outside fastball and take it to the opposite field, and he showed he could right there."
As the Hornets showed in Game 1, however, they weren't going to wilt, and Luke Walker put up a solo shot of his own on the bottom of the fourth. Yet Jonathan Gettys responded by striking out the side to further dampen Hiram's hopes.
The younger Gettys shone despite slick conditions and a patient Hiram line-up, striking out 12 batters in six innings en route to the win. He also allowed just three hits and walked one batter before yielding to Newton, who struck out two in the bottom of the seventh.
Whitenton and Moore each finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate, while Sewell was 1-for-3. Michael Gettys also had a triple, as the Red Elephants picked up six hits.
Gainesville's Michael Gettys heads back to the dugout during his Game 1 pitching victory over Hiram on Friday at Ivey-Watson Field in Gainesville.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2013/5/261203