Indians take another hit

Gaffney coach Tom Owens (far left) talks to pitcher Jake Watson (far right). The good news for the Gaffney High baseball team was that they battled back from a large deficit.

The bad news was - where do you want to start?

The Indians struck out nine times, left runners in scoring position and gave up too many walks in a 6-5 loss to visiting Hillcrest on Friday.

Gaffney drops to 4-5 overall and 0-3 in the region.

"We aren't doing the little things," Gaffney coach Tom Owens said. "We're not being aggressive. We aren't thinking the mental part of the game. We had chances to score but we are taking pitches that we shouldn't. We are too far in the season to use youth as an excuse."

Trailing 6-3 in the bottom of the seventh, John Michaels reached on a oneout walk. Bobby Jackson doubled to score Chris Perry, who was a pinchrunner for Michaels. Shane Mills followed with an infield single, putting runners on first and third. Bubba Wright delivered a clutch RBI single to cut the deficit to 6-5. But reliever Trey Tuton struck out Joe Ben Frye to end the game.

The Indians had seven hits, but committed four errors.

Starter Jake Watson and Michaels limited the Rams to just six hits.

The Indians jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first when Dylan Jolley was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a McCrae Norton sacrifice bunt and scored on Watson's single.

Hillcrest went on top to stay with three runs in the second and a run in the third.

Gaffney pulled within 4- 3 in the fourth on Michael Hughey's one-out single, a wild pitch, balk and Wright's infield single. Wright later scored on errant pickoff throw after Justin Wilkins' infield single.

In the fifth, Hillcrest's Keith Orr made it 6-3 with a single off Michaels, who relieved Watson with the bases loaded.

Watson gave up four hits and four walks in four-plus innings of work. He also struck out two. Two of the Rams' six runs were unearned.

Gaffney had a scoring chance in the bottom of the fifth but Michaels was stranded at second after a two-out double.

Owens said he liked his team's competitiveness.

"We battled back and stayed excited about the game," he said. "They have to find their confidence. They are a good bunch of kids."