Warner Robins falls to Veterans 14-0 on frigid Monday night

WARNER ROBINS — When people think of outdoor sports and weather, baseball and the cold aren’t the first pairing to come to mind.

Sure, winter still lingers around the start of baseball season, but seldom do players in Georgia have to play an entire game in 30-degree weather.

Monday’s 14-0 final between Warner Robins (2-4) and Veterans (4-2) started at 41 degrees just before first pitch but soon dipped below that with a bone-chilling wind present through most of the night.

Players, coaches and spectators alike could be seen outfitted with face coverings, beanies, heavy jackets and hand warmers. Fans huddled in blankets and around portable heaters trying to keep warm.

“I’lll say at the beginning of the year we were spoiled, it wasn’t the normal opening day [temperature],” Demons head coach Parker Stahlman said. “Today was more like your opening day. I actually did have to change the lineup because I didn’t like how people came out and warmed up, so we had to make switches right before the game just because people didn’t come prepared. It’s definitely a mindset thing, that’s when you can find your guys that are gonna get it done no matter what.”

Players on the field remarked how the ball stung when it hit their glove, and it seemed to affect Warner Robins as they had several defensive errors.

Most of the Warhawks’ early contact popped up and the Demons had plentiful opportunities for easy outs, but they failed to capitalize on many.

Whether a ball hit the glove and popped out or it was a plain missed catch, Warner Robins’ pitchers had to stay out longer than they should’ve.

Blaze Griffin pitched the first four innings and only walked one batter. He was putting balls in the strike zone and trusting his defense, who Stahlman said has to be better behind their hurlers.

“We’ve definitely got to work on defense. Our pitchers are pitching really, really good, getting outs,” Stahlman said. “There was probably multiple innings that our pitchers should have gotten six or seven outs within that same inning because of the errors we made.”

“Definitely got to make it for the pitcher so he can keep his pitch count low, and as he’s up there pitching in a cold game we got to get him back in the dugout and get him warm…We need to work on defense a lot.”

What should’ve been the final out of the top of the third inning turned into three runs for Veterans, but the worst of the damage didn’t come until Griffin came off the bump.

The Warhawks scored 10 of their 14 runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Cameron Wilder had a tough stint in relief pitching 1.1 innings, walking five batters and giving up six earned runs.

Jonathon Turner’s triple to center field scored the runs needed for a mercy rule in the sixth, and Veterans added three more to the tally before securing the final three outs to end the game.

UP NEXT

Warner Robins will host Southwest-Macon on Feb. 25 at 5 p.m.

Veterans will return to the ‘Hawks’ Nest to play First Presbyterian Day on Feb. 24 before a rematch in Macon on Feb. 27, both games at 6 p.m.