The Gate City Grays experienced the highs and lows of baseball in a single day Saturday, splitting a doubleheader with the Hyrum Hornets at Halliwell Park.

The Grays (5-11) took the opener 2-0 behind strong pitching before dropping the nightcap 8-3.

Game 1 belonged to the Grays’ pitching staff and timely hitting.

After five scoreless innings, Gate City broke through in the sixth with both runs coming with no outs. Mario Landeros delivered an RBI single before Brayden Pieper followed with a sacrifice fly to provide all the offense the Grays would need.

Landeros and Hudson John paced the attack with two hits each in a well-balanced offensive effort. On the mound, starter Trem Tolman dominated Hyrum hitters, scattering just two hits while striking out three over 4 innings to earn the victory. Kyler Spracklen and Brody Burch were equally effective in relief, combining for four strikeouts and allowing just one hit over the final three frames to preserve the shutout.

The second game told a different story.

Gate City grabbed an early 2-1 advantage in the third inning when Tyler Vance scored from third base on a John sacrifice fly. However, their lead proved short-lived as Hyrum answered with two runs in the fourth inning to take control for good.

The Hornets added three insurance runs in the seventh inning to pull away, while the Grays managed just eight hits on the day. Burch and Thomas Anderson led Gate City’s offensive effort with two hits apiece, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the loss.

The Grays will look to build on their Game 1 performance when they travel to face the Smithfield Blue Sox on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.