It sounds silly, but just before Rivercrest came to bat in the bottom of the third inning, a buzzard flew in and landed atop the light tower in left field. At that time Alba-Golden held a 3-0 lead in game two of the bi-district playoff. 

Rivercrest rallied in the third to tie the game, added three more runs in the fourth and ended the Panthers’ baseball season by staking a 6-3 win.

Having taken game one 4-2, the Rebels claimed the bi-district title.  

Omens or no omens, it was errors which befell the Panthers. Three critical errors led to three unearned runs which cost them game one of the series Friday night in Gilmer.

It led to a tall order for the Panthers – to sweep a doubleheader Saturday. 

Alba-Golden was dialed in to start game two. Aided by a first inning Rivercrest error, the Panthers generated three baserunners in the inning. Glenn Hartley scored when Conner Gibson rocketed a single into center field. 

Two outs were lost on the base paths however. Easton Campbell was gunned down at the plate on a nice relay throw from the outfield, and Chaelton Cook was picked off second on a great throw from the Rivercrest catcher. 

Although two runners died on the bases, the Panthers had started the game on the front foot and looked confident.  

They added two runs in the second. Nick Hallman reached on an infield hit. Gavin Dailey followed by sending a ball up the middle. Donald McVay drew a walk, and the Panthers had the bases loaded. Hartley was hit by a pitch which forced in one run. Dailey scored after Campbell flied to short left field. The throw back to the infield was misplayed and Dailey scrambled home. 

Gibson drew the start for Alba-Golden and set the Rebels down in order in the second. The tall hurler had a solid start, giving up seven hits, with three free passes and five strike outs. He kept the ball low in the zone throughout and generated 12 ground balls. Unfortunately, fielding errors cost the Panthers dearly.

Once the buzzard set down in left field, the Rebels rallied. Two ground ball fielding errors put the first two batters on for Rivercrest in the third.  A sacrifice fly, a fielder’s choice and a clean single to left tied the game at 3-3.  

After loading the bases with two singles and a base on balls, Rivercrest added three runs on two wild pitches and an infield base hit. After four innings, all scoring for the day was done. 

Alba-Golden put men on base in each inning – ten runners were stranded for the game. They loaded the bases in the fifth, with no outs, but could not bring anyone home. Having come up empty in the fifth had a telling effect on the last innings. The outcome appeared to be determined. 

As always, there was some excellent baseball played. As if to make a final statement for the season, Cook stroked the hardest hit ball of the day, a smoking line drive to center in the fourth. 

Defensively, Alba-Golden left fielder Nick Hallman made the play of the day. In the midst of a Rivercrest rally, Hallman went a long way into the left-center field gap to spear a drive on the run. His effort and throw back to the infield likely prevented at least two Rivercrest runs.

Despite the season drawing to a close, this young Panther team has a district title under their belt and post-season experience. With the balance of the team returning, there is much to look forward to in 2023.