CHICKAMAUGA, Ga. – As the top-ranked Class A public school baseball team in the state, these are tumultuous times for the Gordon Lee Trojans.
Mike Dunfee’s team just lost its senior cleanup hitter, catcher Dylan Minghini, to a knee injury three weeks before the start of the postseason. Region 6-A co-leader Darlington tested Gordon Lee’s depleted lineup Wednesday, a test the Trojans managed to pass in a 3-1 win that showcased how the team will have to win moving forward.
While the Trojans (12-3, 8-1) managed just four hits, they held the Tigers (9-9, 6-2) to six singles and turned double plays in the third and fourth innings to escape serious jams.
“To me, this was about pitching and defense,” Dunfee said. “Those two double plays were huge. In those two areas we are fine. Offensively, I don’t know if we are just guessing too much at the plate or pressing too much because I’ve been harping on it, but we have to get going. Without Dylan I think we have too many guys who are trying to take his place.”
Gordon Lee scored all three of its runs in the first inning, which took shape with one-out walks by Justin Wooden and McCain Barbee. Caleb Hopkins followed with an RBI double, Chris Potter plated another run with a groundout and Hopkins scored on a throwing error on J.D. Day’s stolen base.