CALEDONIA — The Cavaliers baseball team improved to 6-5 on Monday, shutting down Gordo 7-0 at home behind the ruthless pitching of Reid Garrett. The junior ace allowed just one hit from the visitors from Alabama, and pitched a no-hitter through five innings in a complete game.
“I was just trusting the guys behind me and trusting my pitch arsenal,” Garrett said after the game. “That’s about it, just getting to work.”
“He hasn’t missed a start since he was a freshman,” head coach Brad Hamilton said of his ace. “He’s been a bulldog on the mound from day one and this year he’s been unhittable almost every single time he’s gone out. Other than taking him out for a pitch count, he’s thrown a complete game each time. He strikes out, I don’t even know how many a game, he’s just a bulldog.”
Garrett registered 14 strikeouts against the Green Wave to pick up his fourth win of the season and added a couple of hits at the plate in a well-rounded performance. His play held off the visitors while the game was tight, and the Cavalier bats woke up over the course of the evening to secure the comfortable win.
“It makes the whole team play better,” Hamilton said of Garrett’s contributions. “Everything is loose and easy when they come to the ballpark knowing he’s on the mound. Now we just need to get that to carry over to the guys behind him, and it’s getting there.”
On the offensive end, senior Conner Black led the Cavaliers with three hits, including a three-run home run to put the game beyond doubt in the sixth inning.
The Cavs have had at least 10 hits in each of their last three games. They’re working on cleaning up on defense as the new starters adjust to their roles, but Hamilton expressed his confidence in the process and where the team is headed as district play picks up.
“I won’t say it’s been a struggle, but we had the ups and downs that you would expect,” Hamilton said. “A bit of a roller coaster. For every game we do well, the next game we sorta step back, but the more experience we get we start to see guys step up. We’re going to be okay.”
The team had to replace nine seniors from the Class of 2024, meaning a lot of guys are stepping up in terms of responsibility in 2025. Players like Black and Garrett have been contributing since their freshman year, and there is a new weight of responsibility on them as they try to lead on the field and in the dugout.
“I’m trying to set an example for the younger guys,” Garrett said. “Show them how to work and show them how to do things right. We feel good, we had a sweep in district last week, so we’re keeping our heads up and working through it.”
The young team is gaining valuable experience each week, but even with some guys learning the ropes, the group is playing well, winning three of their last four.
The Cavaliers are already in a good position after a sweep of Louisville at the start of the month. They’ll round out the week with three games against non-district opponents before a series with Houston next week, which could help them secure the district title with a month left in the season.
“We get through this week and we have Houston next week,” Hamilton said. “They split with Kosciusko so if we get a sweep with either of them we’re district champs, but we’ve got to pitch it well and play well. We can’t look too far ahead or take our foot off the gas.”
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