Hawthorne’s Win Streak Snapped in 6-2 Loss to Gainesville

HAWTHORNE – Hawthorne baseball stayed competitive against Gainesville High through five innings Tuesday, but a late surge from the Hurricanes led to a 6-2 loss, snapping the Hornets’ five-game winning streak.

Gainesville (11-6) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Yunel Rojas hit an RBI double to bring Connor Kemph home. The Hurricanes added another run in the second before the Hornets responded in the third inning.

Caleb Jacobs put the Hornets (9-7) on the board with an RBI double to score Tison Thomas and Connor Flinchum followed with a run-scoring single to tie the game at 2-2.

“They’re scrappy,” Gainesville coach Adrian Ramos said. “They find a way to make you earn it.”

The Hornets had opportunities to build on that momentum, but were unable to capitalize, leaving runners on base in key moments. 

“You can’t make many mistakes and we made too many tonight,” Hawthorne coach Matt Surrency said. 

The game shifted in the sixth inning when Gainesville took advantage of defensive mistakes. Multiple runners advanced and scored as a result of costly errors between Hawthorne’s pitcher and catcher, allowing the Hurricanes to take control with a three-run inning that resulted in a 5-2 lead.

“Pitching and defense is always going to be the differentiator for us as far as whether we’re in a game or competitive or if we can even move on throughout the postseason,” Surrency said.

Surrency said he was happy to give Flinchum the opportunity to pitch again for the first time in a while. Flinchum threw four innings and part of the fifth before being pulled after reaching his pitch count. Branson Byrd took over in relief.

The decision came earlier than Surrency would have liked, but he said protecting his players’ arms remains a priority.

Gainesville added another run in the seventh after Broc Tucker hit a double and later scored, extending the lead to 6-2.

Despite solid efforts at the plate, Hawthorne was unable to generate late offense and did not score after the third inning. 

Surrency said the team lacked some energy coming out of spring break and the Hornets were “a little flat” at practice Monday when they were off from school. He said he is working to motivate his players and build excitement as Hawthorne prepares to face larger schools in the coming weeks.

When the teams met earlier this season, Gainesville also came out on top with a 7-6 win.

“They kept it a close ball game both times,” Ramos said. “We made a couple mistakes that they capitalized on and you can’t do that because they’ll find a way to make you pay for it.” 

Hawthorne will travel to face Palatka (14-5) on Thursday for a 7 p.m. game.

Category: Gainesville High School, Hawthorne High School, High School Sports