Gainesville Wins nail-bitter vs Lafayette

In their last game before playoffs, the Gainesville Hurricanes baseball squad ended the season on a positive, beating the Lafayette Hornets 2-1. Lafayette had a strong season, coming into the game with a 17-3 record, but the Hurricanes were able to pull off a close win in a tight battle.

Bats

The Hurricanes were actually outhit this game, 5 to 4, but the bats came through when it mattered most. Bennett Bruggeman’s RBI double was the biggest hit on the night, scoring Kellen Brown. Brown was the only one to cross home plate for the Hurricanes, scoring both runs without even getting a hit. He managed two walks in three at-bats and made it count on the basepath, stealing one base.

Shutdown Stuff

Two sport athlete Josh Morison was on the mound for Gainesville to start the game. The lefty went four full innings, allowing one run in the 4th inning. He gave up only three hits, striking out three and walking three as well.

Senior Tyler Guarino came in as relief and shut down the game, going three innings only allowing one hit. He struck out five of the 10 batters he faced while walking one.

Long Season

The Hurricanes end the season below .500 at 10-12, having a 0-2 record against district opponents. They scored 123 runs on the season while giving up 128. Shortstop Colton Kelly led the team’s offense, hitting .373 with 18 runs scored, one homerun, and five stolen bases. Right fielder Nate Kemph led the team in runs scored with 21 and on-base percentage with a .531. He had two home runs and a batting average of .321.

Next Up

The Gainesville boys look to continue the momentum of their upset Friday into the playoffs Tuesday, where they face off against 15-8 Lincoln. This will be the team’s first meeting as Gainesville hopes to move on in the district tournament.