GAINESVILLE — After graduating 13 from a team that won a state title in 2021 and finished in the Final 4 last season, North Hall coach Trevor Flow knew there would be some growing pains.
He just didn’t think that after 11 games into the 2023 campaign it would be this prevalent. But that’s where he felt things were for his extremely young group after a disappointing 9-2 loss to No. 2 North Oconee in a Region 8-4A crossover game on Monday at Cottrell Field.
The Trojans (8-3) led 1-0 early and the game was tied at 2 after the third inning. It was all North Oconee (7-1) from there. The Titans scored four times in the fourth, two more in the fifth, and capped it with a run in the ninth.
North Hall was one big North Oconee hit from being run-ruled as early as the fifth inning. Not something the powerhouse program is accustomed to.
On defense, the Trojans committed three errors and had two other non-plays that resulted in later runs. On offense, North Hall managed just two base runners over the final three innings. Four North Hall pitchers walked eight, hit four batters, and tossed a couple of wild pitches as well.
Flow offered a tough-love assessment of a team he also said in time could be the program’s most talented ever.
“We just have to compete better,” Flow said. “I can live with the errors and the on-the-field mistakes. There’s growing pains right now with this group and that’s part of it.
“But they need to know they are not the team that played here before. It’s on their shoulders now to compete and grow and do the things we’ve done over the years to be successful. But we’re in Game 11 now, about to be 12, and it’s time to see some people grow up and accept that role (as leader or leaders).”
North Hall grabbed the initial lead in the second when Mills Lothridge reached on an error, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a RBI groundout from Kaleb Sexton.
Senior starter Brantley Watson held the powerful Titans offense in check through the first two innings but ran into trouble in the third.
In the third, the Titans tied the game on a North Hall error after Cale Stricklin doubled with one out and KJ Moon gave them the lead with an RBI single to center scoring Jack Fabris. But Luke Sanders, who replaced Watson with one out, got out of the jam with no further damage getting a deep fly to center with the bases loaded.
The Trojans answered in the bottom of the third with a two-out RBI single from Jon Jon Read scoring Ajay Jones to tie the game.
But North Oconee, the defending Class 4A state champion, broke it open in the fourth when Wyatt Land walked, Nolan Morris singled, and Stricklin ripped a double to left-center scoring both for a 4-2 lead. Kyle Jones and Ethan Jarvis later followed with RBI singles to push the lead to 6-2.
The Titans added two more in the fourth on a two-run double from Kyle Jones but left the bases loaded again. Jones had his third hit and fourth RBI of the game driving in the Titans’ final run in the seventh.
Sanders and Campbell Payton allowed six hits and six runs in 2 2/3 innings. Micah Jimerson allowed one hit and one run in two innings for the North Hall bullpen.
North Oconee starter and Mercer-commit Moon went five innings scattering just two hits and three walks and fanning five. Morris and Stricklin, a Georgia-commit, pitched the final two innings giving up just one hit and retiring the final five batters of the game in relief.
“North Oconee is who they are for a reason,” Flow said. “You can’t give eight walks and [four] hit-batters to a team that is nationally-ranked like that. If you take those things away I think we have a chance to compete better.
“But again that’s part of the competing I’m talking about. Getting on the mound and challenging batters and wanting to hit at the plate and just doing the little things that competition is all about. Some of it is a lack of experience but we’re not going to use that as a crutch. It’s time to grow up and play big boy baseball.”
