TOUGH STRETCH
♦ Jackets lose nine of last 10 after comeback bid falls short against LaFayette
Time is running out for the Rockmart High School baseball team as their hopes of making the playoffs are in jeopardy.
Sitting in sixth in Region 6-3A, the Jackets have just four region games left in the regular season with little room for error heading into their matchup with North Murray that was scheduled for Tuesday, April 13, in Chatsworth.
Rockmart has lost nine of its last 10 games, including being swept by region-leading Ringgold before coming up short to LaFayette in back-to-back games to end last week.
Playing at LaFayette on Thursday, April 8, Rockmart led 3-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth when the host Ramblers went on a one-out rally that pulled them a run ahead before the inning was over.
The Jackets couldn’t push a run across in the seventh to have a much-needed win pulled out from under them.
Rockmart’s Andruw Morris had three hits in the game, and pitcher Trevor Caldwell struck out 11 in 5 2/3 innings.
The Jackets (7-15, 3-9 Region 6-3A) had the opportunity to play comeback kid in Friday’s rematch at Rockmart High School, but things didn’t line up the right way.
With the Jacket’s down 4-0, Rockmart’s Cole Deems broke a no-hitter by LaFayette’s Skylar Cepeda with a double to the left field corner in the bottom of the fifth.
A single by JD Davis put a pair of Jackets on, and Johnathon Moore reached after being hit by a pitch. That set the stage for pinch-hitter Steven Gregory to put one in the sweet spot in center field to get a base hit and push two runs across to get Rockmart on the board.
Colton Leathers had a two-run double in the sixth, and Callion Thompson scored on a passed ball to make it 6-5 heading into the final inning.
Moore kept LaFayette’s batters at bay in the top of the seventh as they went down 1-2-3 on a pair of groundouts and a swinging strikeout. Rockmart’s Mason Phillips led off the bottom of the frame with a short hit that landed him safely at first before moving over to second on a passed ball.
Unfortunately three straight pop outs would end the game and any chance for the Jackets to steal a win.
Drake Dean started the game on the mound for Rockmart and went 5 1/3 innings and had two strikeouts. Moore finished with three strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings of work.
After visiting North Murray, Rockmart is scheduled to host the Mountaineers on Thursday at 5:55 p.m. The Jackets are then set to travel to Piedmont, Ala. for a non-region game on Friday.