If you've been around baseball long enough you're going to hear your coach use the old cliche, "Don't give them anything, make them earn it".  Well, that was apparent tonight.  After taking the lead 3-2 against the defending GHSA 7A 2023 State Champion, Lowndes County Vikings, going into the bottom of the 5th, things fell apart for the Wildcats.  After walking the 1st batter of the inning, starting pitcher Noah Stone came out of the game.  The righty pitched four innings, allowing three runs on three hits, striking out two and walking two.  After Stone's exit, in the fifth inning, Wildcat pitchers accounted for five hit batters, a base on balls, two singles, and then a grand slam home run.  

Tate Sirmans hit the grand slam which ended the game in the bottom of the fifth, due to the 10-run lead rule, set by GHSA.  The Wildcats scored first in the game when Stone and Grant Wagner each drove in a run in the top of the third inning.  Lowndes came right back with two of their own runs in the bottom of the third.  A hit batter by the pitcher, followed by a triple, then a sacrifice fly, resulted in the Viking's two runs. Connor Gilkey drove in Wagner in the fifth inning to take the lead back for the Cats.  Wagner led all Wildcat hitters with two hits in three at bats.  Noah Thigpen pitched for Lowndes and got the five-inning win.

The Wildcats (5-7) and Vikings (12-2) go at it again Thursday, March 14, in Richmond Hill, with a doubleheader, starting at 4 p.m.  The doubleheader was originally slated for Friday, March 15, but a weather forecast predicting possible rain has changed things.

Allen Cox is a baseball contributor for the Bryan County News. He was previously head coach of Richmond Hill High School's softball team from 2004-2007.