Gilmer County’s Jacob Stewart, right, and Brody Beall celebrate after the end of an inning against Sherman during the Class A state championship game Saturday in Huntington. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

HUNTINGTON — Gilmer County’s bid for the program’s second state championship came to an end in the Class A state finals.

The fourth-seeded Titans, who have relied on pitching and defense throughout the year, walked six batters, including the first four of the game, and committed three errors in a 4-1 loss to third-seeded Sherman Saturday at Marshall University’s Jack Cook Field.

“We didn’t execute today,” said Gilmer head coach Jacob Wolfe. “(Sherman) did. Fantastic season. Super proud of what we did. We played really tough and gave them all we could. Just wasn’t our day.”

Tide starting pitcher Brady Perdue pitched a complete-game, one-run gem. He walked three batters and struck out five, scattering six hits. A two-out error on Brody Beall’s grounder to short plated the Titans’ lone run of the game.

“Brady messaged me yesterday and said ‘I want the ball,'” said Sherman skipper Jeremiah Pettry. “We handed it to him, and he did a heck of a job here today. He gave up one run against a good hitting team. We’ll take that any day of the week.”

Gilmer County's Ashton Hamric reacts after scoring the Titans' lone run in Saturday's Class A state championship game versus Sherman at Marshall University's Jack Cook Field. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

Sherman, which finished the season 27-9, collected just two hits in the game, but found other ways to get runs across.

“We’ve done that all year,” Pettry said. “We’ve found a way to score. Any time we get a runner on, we try to find a way to get them in. It worked for us here today.”

Remi Huffman got the nod on the bump for Gilmer but struggled to find the strike zone, walking all four batters he faced as Sherman took a 1-0 lead. Wolfe brought Jacob Stewart on in relief. Facing a bases loaded, no-outs situation, Stewart allowed just one more run on Perdue’s sacrifice fly before escaping the jam.

Down 2-0, Gilmer cut the deficit in half in the second. Roddick Page got things started with a leadoff single. Later, pinch-runner Ashton Hamric stole second and scored when Beall’s grounder deflected off Elijah Jeffrey at short.

Gilmer County had multiple base-runners in the third and fifth, but Sherman was able to get outs on the basepaths to escape each time. Seth Stewart led off the third with a walk, but was thrown out trying to steal second. Kolten Holbert later singled ahead of a Jacob Stewart walk, but Perdue got a flyout to end the inning.

Sherman’s Brayden Hamrick (5) tags out Gilmer County’s Lex Grogg at first base during the Class A state championship game Saturday in Huntington. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

In the fifth, Lex Grogg led off with a single but got picked off first. Tyler Ratliff followed with a base hit, but that was all Gilmer could muster.

Sherman got add-on runs in the fourth and sixth innings. JonAaron Secrist led off the fourth with a walk. Two batters later, Colby Atkins hit a grounder to third that had a chance to be a double-play, but the throw to second was off the mark and went into right field, allowing Secrist to score all the way from first to make it 3-1.

The Tide got another leadoff base-runner via an error in the sixth, and Oliver Harless took advantage with an RBI single to center field to stretch the lead to three.

Grogg recorded his second hit of the game on a bloop single to lead off the seventh, but Perdue retired the next three batters to end the game and the season.

“It’s a great feeling to tell you the truth, looking around at all the maroon and gold in the stands,” Pettry said. “I think it’s going to hit me more when I walk through the crowd here in a minute.”

Gilmer County's Jacob Stewart delivers to the plate during Saturday's Class A state championship game versus Sherman at Marshall University's Jack Cook Field. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

Page was 2 for 3 with a double to lead Gilmer offensively. Jacob Stewart went six innings, walking two and punching out four. Jacob and Seth Stewart are the only two seniors on the Titans’ roster.

“We have two seniors who have meant a lot to this program,” said Wolfe, whose squad finished 28-8. “They’ve transformed it and turned it around. Now it’s up to us to continue to grow it, and we’ve got a good group to do that.”

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@newsandsentinel.com.

Class A state championship at Marshall’s Jack Cook Field

Sherman 4, Gilmer County 1

GCHS 010 000 0 – 1 6 3

SHS 200 101 x – 4 2 1

WP: Brady Perdue 7IP, 6H, 1H, 0ER, 3BB, 5SO

LP: Remi Huffman 0IP, 0H, 2R, 2ER, 4BB, 0SO

Jacob Stewart 6IP, 2H, 2R, 0 ER, 2BB, 4SO

#3 Sherman (27-9) hitting: Luke Tagliente R; Brayden Hamrick R; Avery Skeens 1-2 RBI; Perdue RBI; Jaxson McCormick R, SB; JonAaron Seacrist R; Oliver Harless 1-3 RBI

#4 Gilmer County (28-8) hitting: Tyler Ratliff 1-4; Kolten Holbert 1-4 SB; Roddick Page 2-3, 2B; Lex Grogg 2-3; Ashton Hamric R, SB

All-tournament: Elijah Jeffery (Sherman), Jacob Stewart (Gilmer County), Kolten Holbert (Gilmer County), Roddick Page (Gilmer County), Cam Kellar (St. Joseph), Wyatt Pence (St. Joseph), Mason Hamilton (East Hardy), Chase Owens (Pendleton County), Mason Miller (Pendleton County), MVP: Luke Tagliente (Sherman)