The 2024 baseball season did not start off on the right plank for the Gore Pirates as they lost their season opener 12-5 to the visiting Talihina Golden Tigers on Friday afternoon.

The Pirates (0-1) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run triple by Hunter McGee and an RBI groundout by Dayton Smith.

However, the Golden Tigers took the lead for good with a five-run third inning and a single run in the fifth inning for a 6-3 lead.

McGee’s two-run home run in the fifth inning cut the Talihina lead 6-5, but the Pirates got no closer as the Golden Tigers put away the game with a six-run sixth inning.

In defeat, McGee was 4-for-4 as he hit for the cycle with a single, a double, a two-run triple and a two-run homer.

Smith (0-1) took the loss, going the first 3.1 innings with five strikeouts. Tate Brooksher went the next 1.2 innings with three Ks, while McGee went the final two innings with two strikeouts.