Habersham Central’s baseball team dipped below .500 for the first time in nearly two months as the Raiders dropped Friday’s game to Gainesville 8-3.
The loss marked the end of a rough week for Habersham (13-13, 7-8 Region 8-6A), as the club suffered defeat in each of its three games. “Last week was tough,” Raiders coach Chris Akridge said.
Akridge shouldered much of the blame for the rough stretch. “Ultimately, it’s my job to get our guys to perform consistently at our best and I’ve done a poor job of that here lately.”
The visiting Red Elephants jumped ahead early with a 3-run first inning and never looked back. Hunter Tatum and Logan Kay each had a pair of hits for the Raiders, but Habersham was unable to keep pace with their region foes.
The Diamond Raiders find themselves in the bottom half of the regional standings, yet very much still in the playoff hunt. With just five tilts remaining (four versus regional opponents), this week is a crucial one for Habersham.
“My message going into the week was simple,” Akridge said. “I told our guys that I love them, I believe in them and I’m confident in us as a team. We’ve got to take it one game at a time.”
Despite the Raiders’ skid, the club has shown promise both defensively and at the plate. Akridge remains steadfast in his belief that his team will rise to the occasion. “This is an outstanding group of guys,” he said. “I’m confident that we will respond well going down the stretch.”
Win over Shiloh
The Diamond Raiders picked up a much needed win Monday, blanking Shiloh 7-0.
Tatum sparkled on the mound, befuddling the Generals lineup en route to a complete game shutout with nine strikeouts. Chitwood opened up the scoring with an RBI Single in the first inning. The Raider freshman would snag another RBI in the third.
Tatum continued his prowess on both sides of the ball. In the top of the fourth inning, with Habersham already holding onto a 3-0 lead, Tatum knocked in two more runs with his first of two hits on the night. Blandon Grizzle joined Tautm with a multi-hit game.