BASEBALL: West Laurens dumps hitting slump, thumps Gilmer to advance in state playoffs

West Laurens’ recent struggles finding the big hits were very quickly no more last Friday as it dispensed with some late-season offensive woes, and the Gilmer Bobcats, in a first-round sweep.  

The Raiders’ misfortunes with runners in scoring position, most visible in a string of eight consecutive non-region losses to finish the regular season, finally ran their course as 16 hits played into multiple big innings over wins by finals of 11-1, and 6-3.  

“It was definitely one of the best days we’ve ever had hitting-wise,” said junior Cohen Cardwell, who scored a run and drove in three more with hits to key an opening statement in each game. “All the guys bought in and stayed back, and we actually had timely hits today. Everybody was just rolling, and it felt awesome.” 

What finally went right? 

West Laurens head coach Parker Gordon said the solution was a matter of mentality more than mechanics, which some film study by he and his assistant coaches repeatedly revealed to be as sound as ever for the multiple hitters who were having a rough time. 

As it would turn out, the only thing needed for them to rediscover their confidence was some extended time in the cages to reinforce trust in their swings. 

“It felt like (it was just) hitting with the team this week,” said sophomore Tripp Mascaro, who had two hits and RBIs in game 1. “We were with Coach (Trevor) Wood. He was working on our approach, getting our toes on the line, seeing balls in the cage, being on time, that kind of deal.” 

But a chance to do that, with only one scheduled day off between seven games in two jam-packed final weeks of the schedule, didn’t come until the comparatively long layoff between the regular season and playoffs that the Raiders were able to make the most of. 

“After this past week, I’m just sold on, the way our program is and our kids are, we have to have practice,” Gordon said. “The five practices we were able to have, being able to work with these guys – we’re so good at the fundamentals, at working hard and being up-tempo, and giving those guys the opportunities in intra-squads and the at-bats we give them for them to have the success out here – that’s just something that we are. If we have to start practicing more and playing less games, that’s probably what we need to do.” 

West Laurens, which advances to the second round for the first time since 2024, out-hit Gilmer 8-4 in both games, the first ending with its last pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. 

The afternoon got off to a confident start as the Raiders scored seven, to drive away all of the demons, in the first two. 

But they had to face them right from the get-go as Bobcat starter Jase McClure walked two and hit a man to load the bases with one out, presenting another of the golden opportunities they’d been haunted by. 

This time, they came through with two simple hits that had a major impact. 

Cardwell delivered one RBI with a single to left (a second runner got caught between third and home plate by shortstop Peyton Ocobock, who cut the ball off before it got far outside the infield and engaged him in a short rundown), then joined Buck Shepard in scoring on a single up the middle by Cason Pollock to make it an early 3-0 lead. 

In the second, West Laurens added four more as Mascaro and J.J. Giles led off with singles, Kolby Clark was hit by a pitch and Grant Baker grounded into a fielder’s choice that made it 4-0. 

Then Shepherd scorched a three-run bomb to right field.  

“It felt pretty good,” the freshman said of his first career home run. “When it came off the bat, I was about certain it was gone.” 

Mascaro cashed in two more McClure walks in the third with an RBI double into the left field corner to get the run total to nine, against Gilmer’s lone score on a two-out error in the top of the inning. 

“The entire, I would say, past month, month and a half, we’ve been working on our approaches, and just having that, being on time and, especially with the baserunners, getting good reads on the fly balls and line drives, just focusing on where we can improve,” senior Chase Devaney said. “I feel like it showed today.”

After a scoreless fourth, the Raiders put the game away by chasing McClure, with a leadoff single from Pollock and a fifth McClure walk worked by Nathan Hester that preceded a first pitching change, then his reliever Ocobock, who got two quick outs, but then walked J.D. Hogan to load the bases and place the winning run at second base. 

Slade Holt took over, and got to throw only one pitch that got bopped up the middle for the walk-off by Clark, who also held Gilmer to four hits with one walk and four strikeouts on the mound. 

“We went out last year early, so to come out here, set the tone like we did in the first game, and bring the momentum back in the second game, it means a lot,” Clark said. 

The offense was slower to unfold against Gilmer’s game 2 starter Cooper Cochran. The senior left-hander threw a steady diet of tall curveballs that were mostly popped up and hit softly on the ground. 

But West Laurens once again got some quick-hit offense as Hogan drew a walk to lead off. Clark’s intended sacrifice bunt – part of a small-ball emphasis that ended up being a non-theme – turned into a hit when the ball rode all the way up the line, forcing Cochran to field it and attempt a tag that missed. 

The tiebreaking RBIs came once again from Cardwell on a single to grab the early lead, 2-0. 

Not much developed from there until the fourth, when Hester drew a walk, and Giles singled to drive him in and make it 3-0. 

West Laurens responded to Gilmer’s first run in the fourth (on almost back-to-back doubles from Peyton Chancey and McCollum) with a Baker double that flew beyond reach of Chancey in center field to set up Shepherd for a fourth RBI of the series, and a 4-1 lead. 

The Bobcats wouldn’t go away, and scored twice to create a sticky situation for the Raiders in the bottom of the fifth. 

Starting pitcher Brycen Milton, who was unhit until Gilmer’s earlier breakthrough, walked three around an error, the last to bring in a run. Duggan Malone came on and issued a quick walk to do the same, making it a one-run game. 

But a groundout to Cardwell busted up the bases-loaded jam, and preserved their one-run lead ahead of the sixth inning, which called for another big response. 

It came again from the bat of Clark, who followed a two-out Hogan walk with his third single, then advanced two bases on an errant throw to score on a wild pitch. 

“We’re just answering back,” Gordon said. “When you do that over a period of time, which was about three innings for us, it deflates that team over there.” 

After Cochran and Zander Shute found grass with singles to open the sixth, Malone got six consecutive outs – three on strikes – to set the Bobcats down for good. 

Cochran struck out two and walked three, with half the six runs earned, in seven innings. 

“It felt great to have the whole team contribute to a great two wins,” Baker said. “Sometimes we get ahead of ourselves when we see someone that’s not throwing the hardest, or doesn’t have their best stuff and the ball looks like a beach ball and we’ll pop up or something. It feels great having two quality wins against a quality opponent that the whole team contributed to hitting-wise, it wasn’t just a couple of people. We hit the ball at the right time and we had two great games today.” 

“We really put in hard work this past week,” senior Torren Harrison added. “Coach Gordon pushed us. We really worked hard for it, so we deserve it.” 

West Laurens had just one error in either game. One was a muffed throw at first base, the other a dropped pop fly in fair territory up the right field line, and both led to Gilmer runs.  

A ball lost in the sun also got down behind the center fielder Giles, but he recovered for some great catches of the running and diving variety that led to key outs. 

“It was really difficult, but Coach Wood always gets us out here and we live on this quote that the sun was there before we were, so you gotta get your glove up there and find it, and I did,” he said. “I couldn’t find it that one time, but the rest, I got my glove up and I made some plays.” 

Hogan had some key grabs in left. But all four on the infield seemed to rise to the occasion as they took care of routine plays, and a few difficult ones. 

Pollock made a running collection, and fired to a stretching Clark at first to rob a hit from the Bobcats early in game 2. Cardwell made a sliding, kneeling catch with his back turned to the evening sun for a major first out of the sixth. 

“I’m proud of those guys defensively,” Gordon said. “They’ve worked hard. And it’s paying off for them right now.” 

West Laurens, for its second-round series starting Thursday in Dexter, will host 22nd seed Northwest Whitfield – a team that’s also coming up with clutch hits when it counts. 

The Bruins jacked eight home runs (two grand slams out of the four total by freshman Smith Browning) Friday in their sweep of No. 11 Heritage, a region rival they lost to twice out of three in the regular season. 

So needless to say, the Raiders will once again need their bats to be at their best for a shot to beat them, and reach the state quarterfinals. 

“I’m proud of the guys and the approaches they took today,” Gordon said “They barreled up some baseballs, and there were some that should’ve been hits that were caught, and just couldn’t find grass. I’m real happy about that, and I’m real happy about how we’re going to look going into the second round.”