Gilmour building from strong start

Three weeks of the spring season only translated into five games for Gilmour. Still, coach Jay Fowler is encouraged by what he’s seen from the Lancers thus far.

Gilmour opened its season with a 4-1 loss to Mentor, then picked up wins against Keystone, Mayfield and University. The Lancers’ led, 8-3, April 13 at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary before the Fighting Irish rallied to defeat Gilmour, 10-9, in extra innings.

The Lancers believe they aren’t far removed from a perfect start to the season. Fowler hopes losses to Mentor and especially Akron SVSM illuminate sequences in which Gilmour could’ve altered the game’s final outcome.

“It’s one of those things, early in the season, a loss like that, we hope it becomes a momentumbuilder for us, a positive,” Fowler said. “We’ve got to deal with a couple little things to make sure we secure victories in the long run.”

Fowler liked what he saw in the Lancers’ rebound performance at Beachwood April 14. Gilmour scored four runs with two outs in the second inning and led, 5-2, when the game was suspended by rain in the top of the fourth. The Lancers loaded the bases with one out before the game was called.

Senior Johnny Hollis helped spark the two-out rally in the second with a walk. Logan Wright reached on an error and Matt Christopher walked before Owen Corcoran’s RBI single and Nick Christopher’s two-run base hit.

“Our seniors, they have set the tone since the preseason,” Fowler said. “They’ve kind of led, that got us going with two outs, our seniors kind of led the way, doing the little things and showing the guys how the game’s played the right way, making it happen for us.”

The Lancers also feature an impressive freshman, 6-foot-5 pitcher/shortstop and Penn State commit Ben DeMell.

Gilmour is scheduled to play five games next week, although early forecasts project cloudy days that will likely include rain. When the Lancers are able to play, they won’t take the opportunity lightly. Seeding voting for the state tournament opens April 26.

“We’re trying to stress now with the kids as much as possible, seeing the forecast for next week, every one of these games we have to approach like playoffs,” Fowler said. “Knowing that win-loss is going to make a difference when it comes to seeding.”