Apalachee’s baseball team had a three-game winning streak snapped Monday evening when the Wildcats literally booted away a 7-3 decision to Mountain View, a brand-new high school supposedly located in Lawrenceville.

The Wildcats had held on for a 7-6 victory over Johnson of Gainesville Saturday afternoon at the Knights’ home field in Oakwood for their third straight victory and were looking for their fourth triumph in a row, something that has probably never happened in Apalachee’s history.

“This is a game I thought we could win,” said Apalachee head coach Mike Cavey after Monday’s game against the Bears, playing this and the next two seasons in Region 8-AAA.  Like most Gwinnett County schools, Mountain View will probably be in Class AAAAA the next time reclassification takes place.

With the loss the Wildcats took a 3-2 record into their Region 8-AAAA portion of the schedule, which was to have begun Tuesday afternoon when the ‘Cats hosted Clarke Central.  They have one more non-region contest with Class AAAAA Duluth later this season.

Apalachee committed seven errors against Mountain View, but two of them led to a four-run uprising by the Bears in the bottom of the fifth inning which proved to be the difference in the game.

The Wildcats had a three-run inning against Johnson to take the lead for good when Eric Morgan drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Clint Ashe smacked a two-run double.

Ashe later singled in the Wildcats’ seventh run, which proved to be the game-winner when the Knights rallied in the bottom of the seventh.

MOUNTAIN VIEW 7, CATS 3

Mountain View lefthander Kyle Mitchell held the Wildcats in check through six innings, allowing only two runs on four hits and one walk and striking out five.

He allowed Joey Webb’s run-producing triple in the first inning and Ashe’s home run in the third but left the game with a 6-2 lead.

Apalachee starter Derek Bryan and reliever Caleb Austin were almost as good.  Bryan gave up two runs, one earned, and three hits in three innings, walking no one and strking out five.

Austin, a tall lefty, only gave up two hits and four walks while striking out four in 2-1/3 innings, but he allowed five unearned runs.

“I think he was trying to throw perfect pitches to get out of the inning after we made a couple of errors behind him,” Cavey said, “and that’s why he walked some batters.  Overall, I though he pitched well.”

Webb’s scoring triple gave the ‘Cats a 1-0 lead in the opening inning, but the Bears answered with their only earned run of the game in the bottom of the frame when Tyler Bethune singled home a run.

Ashe’s homer with one out in the third put Apalachee back in front, but the Bears got a run home on a throwing error in the bottom of the inning to tie it again.

The Wildcats had two outs in the bottom of the fifth when Austin coaxed a grounder to second from Mitchell.  AHS second baseman Zach Gentry stumbled a bit as he fielded the ball, then his throw to first barely pulled Seth Maddox off the bag.

Bethune then dribbled an infield single toward third base and Corey Brogdon walked to load the bases.

Beau Blair singled to right and Morgan let the ball get past him for a two-base error.  Three runs scored on the play and Blair ended up at third, from where he scored on a wild pitch to give the Bears a 6-2 lead.

Two more Wildcat errors led to another unearned run in the sixth, and Apalachee was only able to answer with Adair’s RBI hit in the seventh before the game ended.

MOUNTAIN VIEW 7, APALACHEE 3

Apalachee                   1   0   1      0   0   0      1—3   5   7

Mountain View          1   0   1      0   4   1      x—7    6   0

Left on base—Apalachee 4, Mountain View 6.  Double play—Mountain View 1.

Apalachee pitching—Derek Bryan 3 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 5 SO; Caleb Austin-L, 2.1 IP, 5 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 4 BB, 4 SO; Clint Ashe, 0.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 SO.

Mountain View pitching—Kyle Mitchell-W, 6 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 5 SO; More Cantoureal, 0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 SO; Corey Brogdon, 1 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 SO.

Apalachee hitting—Clint Ashe, 1x2, HR (1), RBI; Joey Webb, 1x3, 3B, RBI; Steven Adair, 1x2, RBI; Andrew Hunter, 1x2; Zach Gentry, 1x3.

Mountain View hitting—Tyler Bethune, 2x3, RBI; Alex Brock, 2x3; Kyle Mitchell, 1x3, RBI; Beau Blair, 1x3, 2 RBI.

CATS 7, JOHNSON 6

Ashe was 3-for-4 with a double and four runs batted in, while Bubba McDaniel and Seth Maddox each had two hits in the ‘Cats’ 11-hit attack. Webb drove in a pair of runs with a double and a groundout.

Webb picked up the victory with four innings of three-hit ball, allowing three runs, two earned, walking two and fanning six.

Cory Hoopaugh followed him to the mound, then Ryan Shorter got the last four outs to earn the save despite allowing a run in the seventh.

Cavey said he took Webb out after four innings because of his pitch count (78) and as a precaution.

“We don’t want to push anyone too far this early in the season,” Cavey said.  “In his next outing, we’ll probably let him go another inning.”

Webb’s RBI double put the Wildcats on top in the first, but back-to-back run-scoring doubles by Tray Wilson and Blake Stacey gave Johnson a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning.

Ashe singled in one run and Webb plated another with his grounder to second to put the ‘Cats back ahead 3-2 in the third, but the Knights tied it again with an unearned run in the bottom of the frame.

Morgan’s scoring fly to center broke the tie in the fourth and Ashe followed with his two-run double to give Apalachee some 6-3 breathing room.

Logan Pethel’s two-run double in the bottom of the fifth pulled Johnson with 6-5, but Ashe’s run-scoring single in the sixth gave the ‘Cats just enough to win.

Shorter relieved Hoopaugh with two outs in the sixth and runners at first and second.  He induced an inning-ending groundout, then suffered some anxious moments in the bottom of the seventh before closing down the victory.

Wilson opened the inning with a line-shot double and took third on a wild pitch.  Shorter then got three fly-ball outs, the second of which scored the run that made the final score close.

APALACHEE 7, JOHNSON 6

Apalachee            1   0   2      3   0   1      0—7  11   1

Johnson                2   0   1      0   2   0      1—6    7   2

Left on base—Apalachee 6, Johnson 6.  Double plays—Johnson 2.

Apalachee pitching—Joey Webb-W, 4 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 SO; Cory Hoopaugh, 1.2 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 0 SO; Ryan Shorter-Save, 1.1 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 SO.

Johnson pitching—A.J. Benefield-L, 4 IP, 6 R, 5 ER, 9 H, 1 BB, 1 SO; Ryan Farmer, 3 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 SO.

Apalachee hitting—Clint Ashe, 3x4, 2B, 4 RBI; Joey Webb, 1x3, 2B, 2 RBI; Seth Maddox, 2x3, 2B; Zach Gentry, 1x2; Steven Adair, 1x3; Eric Morgan, 0x3, SF, RBI.

Johnson hitting—Tray Wilson, 2x3, 2 2B, RBI; Chris White, 2x3; Logan Pethel, 1x3, 2B, SF, 3 RBI; Blake Stacey, 1x4, 2B, RBI; Fletcher Whiting, 1x3.