VALDOSTA —
Valdosta opened the 2012 baseball season with a 2-1 loss to Thomasville on Monday, in the first game of the Wildcat Invitational at Bazemore Field.
The game was a pitcher’s duel. Thomasville pitcher Hunter Donalson held Valdosta to one infield single and an unearned run in five innings. The sophomore southpaw struck out nine.
“That left-hander is good,” Valdosta head coach Bart Shuman said about Donalson. “They’ve got a good club. I was very impressed with them.”
Valdosta starter Trey Haygood pitched four shutout innings, limiting the Bulldogs to four hits and striking out seven. Austin Gibbs threw the final three innings for the Wildcats, allowing three hits and two unearned runs. Gibbs struck out three.
“I thought Trey Haygood and Austin Gibbs pitched really well,” Shuman said. “We made some critical errors that cost us, but I thought we got some good pitching out of Trey and Austin.”
For the first four innings, Haygood and Donalson traded zeroes on the scoreboard. Thomasville put runners at the corners with two outs in the top of the second, but Haygood got Treveon Smith to ground out to end the threat. In the bottom half of the second, the Wildcats put runners on second and third with two outs, but Donalson stuck out Jacob Davis to end the inning. Thomasville’s Matt Allen led off the fourth with a double, but Haygood responded by striking out the next three batters.
Valdosta broke the scoreless tie with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Leading off the inning, Gibbs laid down a bunt. The throw to first was in time, but the first baseman dropped the throw, and Gibbs was safe. Then David Posas bunted, trying to sacrifice Gibbs to second. Once again the throw to first was in time, but this time the second baseman (who was covering first) dropped the ball, and Gibbs alertly ran to third. Then Donalson uncorked a wild pitch, and Gibbs raced home to score the game’s first run.
Thomasville answered with two unearned runs in the top of the sixth. Preston Nix reached on an error to start the inning. The next two batters grounded out, but Nix moved to third on the ground balls. Then Donalson ripped into a pitch and hit a line drive into the gap in right center. Nix scored easily, and Donalson raced all the way to third with a triple. Then Gibbs threw a wild pitch, and Donalson ran home to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead.
Thomasville relief pitchers Trey Higginbotham and Brian Miller shut out Valdosta in the final two innings to preserve the one-run victory.
Tristan Frazier went 2 for 3 for Thomasville. Posas had Valdosta’s only hit, an infield single in the second.
“You don’t win many ballgames when you get one hit and get struck out (10) times,” Shuman admitted.
The Wildcats will travel to Perry, Fla. to play Taylor County on Thursday, then will return home to face Cook on Friday.
The Wildcat Invitational continues today, with Berrien facing Ware County at 6 p.m. at Valdosta High.
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