MERRY HILL – It was a double-debut.

Jacob Harrell coached his first game as Gates County High varsity baseball coach Tuesday and he did it against his alma mater, Lawrence Academy. The game also featured the premiere of Jason Wynne in the dugout as Warriors coach; having come over from Terra Ceia where he succeeded former coach Robert Kravitz.

And the fans watched a gem of a contest to usher in the 2016 high school baseball season as Lawrence prevailed 7-6 over the Red Barons here in an exciting game.

Jarrett Harrell smacked a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning right after pitching the final two innings to get the win in relief.

Lawrence opened the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Bryant Goodwin and Daquan Wilson opened with back-to-back infield singles to get two aboard. Tyler Jones then walked to load the bases. Goodwin and Wilson scored the first two runs on newcomer Slade Cowan’s two-RBI single to centerfield. Jones scored on an error on the same play and the Warriors were ahead 3-0 after one inning of baseball.

Lawrence added two more runs in the bottom of the second inning when Goodwin reached first base on a fielder’s choice, stole second, and went to third base on an error. Wilson then drew a base-on-balls and stole second for two runners in scoring position for the Green-and-Gold. Goodwin scored on Jones’ deep sacrifice fly while Wilson came home on Harrell’s RBI single to center. The Warriors were up 5-0 after two innings.

Gates County got its first run in the top of the third when D.J. Smith singled to centerfield, stole second and scored on a Jacob Doughtie run-scoring single to right field. The Red Barons trailed 5-1 after two-and-a-half innings.

The ‘Barons came back to score five runs in the top of the fifth. Braxton Newsome walked and went to third on a Cole Stallings base hit to center. Newsome came home on a Daniel Riddick RBI single and Stallings followed him across the plate on Smith’s RBI single to left. Doughtie then walked to load the bases before Riddick scored on Jordan Brinkley’s run-scoring single. Smith would score on a Parker Cline RBI single and Brinkley came home on a Jake Brown single to center. The big offensive explosion put the Red Barons in front 6-5 after five innings of play.

With late winter darkness approaching the coaches agreed to make the sixth inning the final one of the game. That’s when the Warriors responded with the game winner in the bottom of the frame. With one out, and Gage Riddick on in relief of Smith, walks by Goodwin, Wilson, and Jones loaded the bases. Cowan then coaxed a bases-loaded walk, scoring Goodwin with the tying run. Harrell then followed with his walk-off game-winning single to give Lawrence the one-run win in their opener.

Jones pitched three innings for Lawrence with Miller Trowell getting in an inning of work and Harrell pitching the final two innings to pick up the victory.

Doughtie, Smith, Gage Riddick, and Cline pitched for Gates County.

Lawrence tallied six hits: two by Harrell to go with a pair of runs driven in while Cowan had one hit and three RBI. Goodwin, Wilson, and Miller Trowell had the other hits for the Warriors. Gates County had nine hits thanks to two hits apiece for Smith, Cline, and Stallings. Doughtie, Brown and Daniel Riddick had one hit each.

Lawrence is 1-0 and played at First Flight on Wednesday in a game not completed by press-time. Gates County (0-1) has their home and conference opener today (Thursday) in Gatesville against fellow Coastal-10 member, Camden County.