CHICKAMAUGA, Ga. - Mistakes are difficult to overcome any time on the baseball field. When they happen in the postseason, they get compounded.
Mistakes were the theme of Gordon Lee's final game of the 2016 season Saturday. Facing a not-your-usual No. 4 seed Holy Innocents' in a first-round Class AA playoff elimination game, the top-ranked Trojans allowed seven unearned runs in a 9-2 loss.
In a nightmare first inning, Gordon Lee committed two errors on routine infield grounders and walked four batters as the visitors were handed a 6-0 lead. Coach Mike Dunfee went through three pitchers in the frame, eventually settling on junior Chaney Rogers, the future Georgia Bulldog who had not thrown a pitch this year due to injury.
Rogers came on after the inning's second error but walked three consecutive batters to bring in the final two runs. He would go on to pitch 4 1/3 scoreless and hitless innings with nine strikeouts.
"We knew we had to come out and play defense and throw strikes, and we just didn't that first inning," Dunfee said. "Our two younger kids pounded the zone, and Chaney - I put a lot on his back right there - battled and shut them out. He really wanted the ball and wanted to help us out. That's a testimony to him as to the caliber of kid he is.
"We dug ourselves a hole early and just couldn't get out of it."
The early runs were a godsend to Holy Innocents' freshman starting pitcher Guillermo Granier. The right-hander, at his coach's urging, threw strikes and made the Trojans earn their way on. Several well-hit balls were chased down by the Golden Lions' terrific defensive duo of left fielder John McNair and center fielder Christian Ketchup.
"All day everything we hit seemed to be right at them," said Dunfee, recalling a series of line drives over the middle innings that were turned into outs. "Their center fielder tracked down everything, and they just made the plays as a team."
Gordon Lee (21-8) finally put a rally together in the sixth, still down six. Singles by Noah Peterson and Kobie Cowan and an error loaded the bases with one out. Dylan Minghini singled to center to score one, and Ethan Clark followed with another line shot to center to score another.
However, as soon as the rally began it ended. Dunfee, after initially sending Rogers home from second, tried to hold him up at the last second, to no avail. The hard-charging Ketchup fired a strike to home for the second out. Even worse for Trojans fans, catcher John Pardue saw pinch-runner Stan King trying to get to third and cut him down to end the once-promising inning.
"I saw the ball was more right to him and I was trying to yell for him to freeze, but the crowd was going crazy and he didn't hear me," Dunfee explained. "That's my fault for not getting down the line enough so he could see me better rather than me screaming in his ear.
"I'm going to lose some sleep over that for sure."
Holy Innocents' coach Dan Healy praised his defense for coming through in the big moment.
"Christian Ketchup is a next-level type of kid, and I kind of get excited when I see the ball going to him and someone rounding third," Healy said. "The best part about that play was our catcher having the wherewithal to throw down to third and complete the double play."
The Golden Lions (20-9), who play in a Region 6 that also includes state powers Wesleyan, Greater Atlanta Christian and Lovett, added three insurance runs in the sixth to stretch the lead back out.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296; follow on Twitter @youngsports22