Coming off a big win over S.E. Whitefield at home, and having the game against Cedartown canceled due to weather, the Gilmer High School Bobcats baseball team traveled to Lafayette to rumble with the Ramblers. The Bobcats picked up a 4-3 road victory, needing one extra inning to get the job done. In the top of the first, with two outs, Tucker Plouffe hit a single. After a wild pitch moved Plouffe over to second, Forrest Bramlett drew a walk. The Bobcats had a first inning threat with runners on first and second; however, Colt Henderson’s fly out ended the Bobcats’ scoring threat in the inning. Leaving runs stranded would be a problem for the Bobcats the rest of the game.

Coach Barr put the game into the hands of Sawyer Thompson. The Bobcats cleared the Ramblers one, two, three to the finish the first, leaving no score at the end of one.

Thompson led off the second with a single, and subsequently stole second on an errant pitch. With no outs and a man on second, Rambler pitcher, Drew Pence, struck out Dale, McClure and Lowery, leaving Thompson stranded on second.

After a single, a wild pitch and two hit batters, Thompson found himself with bases loaded and no outs. It was time for him to go to work. Thompson stuck out the next two. A ground out ended the inning, allowing coach Barr to breathe a sigh of relief.

The Ramblers brought in Caine Elliott to pitch the third. He hit one batter gave up a single, walked two more to force in the Bobcats first run. With bases loaded and two outs, a pop up stops the Bobcats bats, leaves three more runners stranded.

In the bottom of the third the Ramblers first batter grounded out. The next batter hit one in the right center gap for a double. With one out and a man on second the next batter hit a deep fly ball to right field. Shane Dale made a great catch, but the Ramblers’ runner thought it was deep enough to tag and tested Dale’s arm. Dale threw a laser beam from right to Austin White at the third who tagged him out for a double play.

Top of the forth McClure would draw a walk, and steal second on a wild throw. With one out and a man on second, White’s RBI double scored McClure. White stole third on an errant pitch. The Bobcats would draw another walk, and have runners on the corners with two outs. A pop up for the third out brought up the Ramblers, and left two Bobcats stranded on base.

The Ramblers leadoff batter reached first on an infield error. The next batter hit into what could have been a six, four, three double play; however, the Bobcats only got the lead runner. With one out, the next batter’s hit to short stop did result in a six, four, three double play. The Ramblers ended the inning still down 2-0 to Gilmer.

The Bobcats tried to build on the two run lead, but the Ramblers would not let it happen in the fifth inning. With a man on third after a wild pitch, and a strike out, the catcher threw out the batter out at first. Rambler first baseman, Whitten, threw Henderson out at the plate for the double play.

Thompson headed back to the mound in the bottom of the fifth. Ramblers head coach, Torrenti, watched Thompson lead off with a fast ball on most of batters through the last four innings. He must have instructed his batters to jump on the first pitch fast ball. The Rambler batters did just that and they connected with the first pitch. However, the strategy backfired as Thompson threw 3 pitches for three outs.

Alden Morris would draw a walk to start the sixth. Austin White hit a screaming single into left center. After a wild pitch, the Bobcats would find themselves with runners on second and third with one out. After a pop up to the catcher Plouffe would draw a walk. Despite having the bases loaded, the Bobcats did not increase the lead, as Bramlett’s ground out ended the scoring threat.

With one out and two on in the bottom of the sixth, Coach Barr headed to the mound to check on his pitcher. After 56 pitches in five and a third innings Thompson was finished for the night. Thompson had thrown a very good game but to finish the game, coach Barr called on Marlen Hensley. Hensley and the Bobcat defense would get out of the sixth but not before giving up two runs to the Ramblers.

Going into the seventh the game was tied 2-2. The Ramblers would send Micah Wyatt in to pitch. Whatt had a nice fast ball. He had an unusually jerky motion in his delivery but he delivered a nice fastball with that motion. With the exception of a single by Thompson, Whatt worked through the Bobcats pretty smoothly. Bobcats would leave one stranded.

The bottom of the seventh would not go as smooth for the Bobcats. The Ramblers would get bases loaded, but failed to score the game winning run. On a bunt attempt to get the runner on third home, Bramlett caught the runner heading home and chased him down to tag him out on the way back to third.

Another out came on a screaming line drive back to Hensley that he was able to knock down with his glove and throw the batter out at first. Then a strike out in the dirt and Bramlett made the throw down to first. Not an easy inning but the Bobcats were out of it forcing the game into extra innings.

Following a strike out, White hit a solid single to right center. Hensley follow with a single moving White to third. The Bobcats had runners on first and third with one out. Plouff would strike out and now the Bobcats had first and third with two outs. Big #23 Forest Bramlett stepped into the box. Wyatt had already thrown four K, s in two innings. Bramlett would not let that bother him. He drove the ball into right center for a stand up double and two R.B.I.’s, giving Gilmer a two run 4-2 lead. The Bobcats finished the inning with the same score, after leaving two more runners stranded on base.

Hensley needed to come up with three outs. The first batter would hit a pop up into left center that looked to be an out but was lost in the lights and dropped for a double. The runner would steal third and with a sacrifice fly to left field a run would score allowing the Ramblers to pull within one, 4-3 with only one out. Hensley struck out the next batter and forced a pop fly to end the game. The Bobcats held on to win 4-3 in extra innings.

Although the Bobcats put together back to back wins they are still struggling with putting together back to back hits. Bobcats left 13 stranded on base. The hot bat of the night belonged to Austin White and the game wining R.B.I. belonged to Forest Bramlett.