MAIS AA BASEBALL

Simpson advances to North State finals

Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas

The Simpson Cougars advanced to the North State finals with an 8-6 win over Indianola yesterday in Mendenhall to close out the series 2-0. Austin Herrington pitched a complete game including nine strikeouts while scattering seven hits to improve to 4-3 for the #4 ranked Cougars. With the series win Simpson advances to take on District 3AA foe Hillcrest in the best of three series beginning next Tuesday at Hillcrest.(Above) Simpson freshman Walt Prince with a home run trot
Simpson struck for three runs in their half of the 2nd inning when freshman Walt Prince sent a three run homer 317 feet off of Indianola starter Taylor Marlow that scored Hunter Thompson and Brandon Johnston.
Indianola answered in the top of the 3rd inning as Zach Whitfield reached base on a single to right field. Joel Moor’s comebacker to pitcher Austin Herrington resulted in a throwing error to 1st base which allowed Whitfield and Moor to advance to 3rd and 2nd base. Matthew Shamoun then delivered a one out double to center field scoring Whitfield. Tyler Johnson then picked up an RBI with a fielder’s choice that scored Moor from 3rd base to trim the deficit to 3-2. Another fielding error cost Simpson allowing Dalton Deloach to reach base safely and scoring Shamoun to tie the game at 3-3. Indianola took the lead at 4-3 on a Thomas Moore stand up double to score Deloach from 1st base.(Above) Simpson's Hunter Thompson (#10) holds Dalton Deloach of Indianola on at first base
That would be Indianola’s last lead of the game as Simpson added three runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Andy Maddox scored form 3rd base on a passed ball and Brandon Johnston’s one out triple to deep center scored Michael Kennedy and Hunter Thompson to put the Cougars on top 6-4.
Simpson added two insurance runs in the 4th inning when Marc McMillian’s fly out to deep left field scored Justin Taylor from 3rd base and Cade Eiland’s stand up double scored Cory Herrington to give the Cougars a four run cushion at 8-4.
Indianola picked up a run in the top of the 6th inning on a perfectly executed hit and run from Robert Wright that scored Dalton Deloach from 3rd base. The Colonels closed the gap to 8-6 in their half of the 7th inning when Tyler Johnson’s single scored Matthew Shamoun.
After Indianola’s four run 3rd inning Simpson starter Austin Herrington (Photo below) retired 12 of the last 16 Colonel hitters he faced to earn the win. Sophomore Hunter Thompson and junior Michael Kennedy each had two singles for the Cougars (17-6) and freshman Walt Prince had a three run homer.
Taylor Marlow took the loss for Indianola. The sophomore went the distance giving up eight hits, walking two and striking out five. Matthew Shamoun and Thomas Moore each had a double and a single to lead the Colonels who end their season at 18-13.

Post game comments:
Simpson head coach Britt Hederman
“Anytime you can finish a series early you don’t have to get deep into your pitching and it obviously helps.”
“We feel good….we’re blessed to have a group of kids who really work hard everyday. They set their sights on something and everyday they work harder and harder.”
“Austin Herrington is a bulldog…he competes and he locates. He has battled for us all year long and I’m proud of his efforts today.”

MAIS AAA BASEBALL

Parklane secures top seed

Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas

The Parklane Pioneers nailed down the #1 seed from the AAA South Division 1 last night with a come from behind 11-6 win at home over Oak Forest. The second ranked Pioneers will take on top ranked Jackson Academy next week as the AAA baseball playoffs get underway.
Parklane’s bats were as cool as the night air last night in McComb for the first three innings as the Pioneers managed just two hits and found themselves down 5-1 to an opportunistic Oak Forest squad. Drew Misita’s infield single in the first inning scored Phillip Ingraffia for an early 1-0 Oak Forest lead. The Jackets added to their lead in the top of the third inning. Parker Morgan led off with a double to deep center field and advanced to third on a bunt single from James Peterson. Phillip Ingraffia brought Morgan home on another Oak Forest bunt single to push the lead to 2-0. Incredibly the Jackets produced their third consecutive bunt single to load the bases, this time from Drew Misita. Senior James Wilkenson came through with a right field single to score Peterson and courtesy runner Keaton Carter to push the advantage to 4-0 and a two out single from Austin Lee scored Drew Misita to give the Jackets a 5-0 lead.
Parklane managed to get on the board in their half of the third inning as they capitalized on an Oak Forest error and after trading runs with the Jackets in the fourth inning left Parklane on the low end of a 6-2 score the Pioneer bats starting heating up. With Parklane starting pitcher Shelby Johnson settling down on the mound in the fifth inning by striking out three consecutive Oak Forest batters after allowing a lead off single by Jordan Wilkenson, the Pioneers exploded in their half of the fifth inning. Wes Gill led off with a standup double off reliever Phillip Ingraffia and two batters later Chance Schmidt brought Gill home with a single to left field. Zach Smith’s infield hit loaded the bases with no outs and Brandon Austin drew a walk to score courtesy runner Bryce Bean to trim the deficit to 6-4. Three consecutive singles from Josh Armstreet, Alex Price and Nathan Taylor brought home four more runs to put Parklane on top 8-6 but the Pioneers weren’t done. After loading the bases once again the Pioneers got a standup double from Austin Terrell to score Alex Price, Nathan Taylor and Wes Gill to extend the lead to 11-6. Parklane sent 13 batters to the plate in an inning that produced seven hits and nine runs.
Shelby Johnson (Photo right) made quick work in the sixth inning as he faced just three Oak Forest batters and Chance Schmidt closed out the seventh inning for the save to preserve an 11-6 Parklane win. Johnson pitched six innings, allowed 11 hits, and had 9 strikeouts to earn the win.
Austin Terrell had a double and single for Parklane and Alex Price nailed two singles.
Phillip Ingraffia led Oak Forest with three singles and James Peterson had a double and single on the night.
With the win Parklane improves to 17-7 and 10-3 in the division while Oak Forest falls to 20-8 and 7-6.
Both teams will close out the regular season with a doubleheader in Amite on Thursday..
Post game comments:
Parklane head coach Michael Clements
“Our guys have faced tremendous adversity and there have been so many times when we’ve come back when we were down like we were tonight. We put up nine runs in the fifth inning after getting down in the early innings. That showed what kind of character our guys had to be able to put up nine runs.”
“Our guys know that hitting is contagious and we’ve done that all year. We’ve been down at times and we would get a leadoff hitter on base with a walk or hit and our guys know that things like that can turn into a snowball effect”.
“Although we’ve nailed down the #1 seed we’re not going to change anything for our last two regular season games with Oak Forest. We won’t rest anybody; we’ll play like we’ve played all season.”

(Above) Phillip Ingraffia of Oak Forest lays down a bunt

MAIS STATE TRACK RESULTS

http://www.msais.org/mailouts/northstatetrackresults2010.pdf

http://www.msais.org/mailouts/southstatetrackrestuls2010.pdf

MAIS AA PLAYOFFS

Jolly's homer propels Brookhaven over CP

Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas

Brookhaven senior Tripp Jolly pitched a three hit complete game and struck out nine in a 6-3 win over Central Private last night but it was Jolly’s 3 run homer in the bottom of the 7th inning that broke a 3-3 tie that gave the top ranked Cougars a 1-0 series lead.
Brookhaven started the game with a single to left from lead off hitter Brent Henderson and quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead as sophomore Bubba Keene crushed a Steven O’Bryant pitch over the left field wall. O’Bryant then settled in and struck out three of the next four batters he faced.

(Above) Central Private's Steven O'Bryant (#6) had a solid game

Central Private opened their half of the 1st inning with a single up the middle by their lead off hitter Ryan Young. Steven O’Bryant’s infield grounder resulted in a Brookhaven error on a double play attempt allowing O’Bryant to reach 1st base and Young to advance to 3rd. After O’Bryant stole 2nd base sophomore Seth Stevens singled to center field scoring both Young and O’Bryant to tie the game at 2-2.
The score would remain deadlocked at 2-2 until the top of the 5th inning when mistakes would prove costly for Central Private. Brookhaven catcher Landon Nettles was hit by a pitch and was replaced on 1st base by courtesy runner Gage Posey. Posey then advanced to 2nd on a passed ball. Bubba Keene’s grounder to 1st was misplayed which allowed Posey to advance to 3rd and Keene to 2nd. Will Gatlin then hit a grounder to short stop Ryan Young but Young couldn’t turn the out allowing Posey to score from 3rd to give the Cougars a 3-2 advantage.

(Above) Brookhaven's Bubba Keene (#5) takes a lead at second

Central Private used some trickeration to tie the game in their half of the 5th inning and two outs. After Steven O’Bryant reached 1st base on a walk, stole 2nd and then advanced to 3rd on an errant throw, Kerry Burns drew a walk. Burns was replaced by courtesy runner Trevor Munn who deliberately got caught in a rundown between 1st and 2nd base. Before Brookhaven could execute the tag out on Munn, Steven O’Bryant scored from 3rd base to tie the game at 3-3 heading into the 6th inning.
In the top of the 7th inning Bubba Keene drilled a line drive two out double to the left field wall. Central Private then chose to intentionally walk Will Gatlin which brought up Tripp Jolly. Jolly sent a 2-1 pitch over the left field wall for a 3 run homerun to give Brookhaven a 6-3 lead.
Jolly (Photo right) then capped off his performance by forcing Ryan Young into a groundout and then striking out both Steven O’Bryant and Seth Stevens in the bottom of the 7th inning to preserve a 6-3 road win.
“Tripp has surprised a lot of people this year,” said Brookhaven head coach Casey Edwards. “He has stepped up for us this season at the plate and had lots of big game hits during the season.”
Jolly pitched a complete game, allowed 3 hits and struck out 9. “Tripp’s pitch count was getting high but in the 5th inning he told me to let him have it and I did,” said Edwards.
While the Cougars only produced four hits on the night they reached the warning track a handful of times and the return of Bubba Keene’s power stroke was evident. The sophomore delivered a 1st inning homer along with a critical two out double in the 7th inning. He also came ever so close to a second homer that was corralled at the wall. “Bubba struggled at the plate the last few games to end the regular season and a couple games in the playoffs and seemed to have been pressing too much, tonight he played relaxed and came through for us,” said Edwards.
Steven O’Bryant (Photo right) took the loss for the Rebels. The senior had a solid outing giving up just four hits while striking out 10.
The series now shifts to Brookhaven on Thursday where Edwards expects to start junior right-hander Hunter McCollough in game two. Game three will follow immediately if necessary.
Top ranked Brookhaven improves to 24-6 while 2nd ranked Central Private falls to 18-7.

(Photo at top of page) Brookhaven's Tripp Jolly (#51) picked up the game one win

The Stretch Run...Central Private

Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas
The Webster’s 21st Century Dictionary defines the word synonymous as a different word of similar meaning. When Central Private baseball is discussed or mentioned among MAIS/MPSA baseball fans several words routinely get spoken; Powerhouse, Dynasty, Intimidating, Excellence. During a 13 year span beginning in 1997 Central Private baseball was synonymous with those four terms as the program cranked out eight state championships and produced numerous division I college prospects. Twice in that span the Rebel’s won state titles four consecutive seasons. The premier baseball program not only has championship hardware but also an amazing 189-23 record over the past five seasons. Central Private appeared to be well on their way to a fifth straight championship last season but was upset by Copiah in the south finals.
Central Private has an 18-6 record and is currently ranked #2 in the latest Southern Sports & Travel Top Ten. The Rebels begin their quest for their 12th state championship in school history Monday when they host top ranked Brookhaven.

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From the dugout with Coach Jason Kinchen:
*Having won four straight state titles and then falling short last season, has this motivated your squad this season?
“Not winning the title last year definitely was tough to deal with, but each year we begin, it is our tradition in our baseball program that is our main motivation. We have some new guys here and they are starting to learn the tradition of CPS Baseball.”
*What do you feel your guys need to do a better job at?
“Offense…..We have young and inexperienced hitters that make up our lineup. As a whole, I am pleased with the progress that they have made throughout the season but there is always room for improvement.
Putting teams away…..Our mentality this season has not been as intense as I would have like to see. I want our players to be able to put teams away when the opportunity presents itself. I always tell our guys to “put your foot on their necks to where they can’t breathe”. I have not seen that from my squad….yet.”
*What will it take to make a run at a state title?
“We need to concentrate on winning the first game of each series in order to put the pressure on the opponent. I feel a lot of luck is important with any team succeeding in the playoffs along with certain players coming through in clutch situations. Come playoffs, I feel the right calls on the base pads and pitch calling is a huge factor in giving your team the chance to win. We have practiced our system all year long and now it is time for the players and coaches to execute.”
*Who do your guys look to for leadership on the team?
“Our guys look at each other for leadership on our team. I teach and preach the whole “TEAM” aspect of the game and never individuality. We do have a couple of guys that will step it up and voice their opinions when needed. Unfortunately, it is not from our senior class.”
*Which teams in the south are you most concerned with as playoff time approaches?
“I feel when Centreville is swinging the bats the way I know they can, they will be tough to beat. Have not seen Hillcrest or Brookhaven play, but I have heard they are tough.”

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The Jason Kinchen resume.......
Graduated from Central Private in 1993
LISA state champs 1992
Played 2 years at CO-LIN
Played 2 Years @ Brewton-Parker College NAIA
Won NAIA national championship in 1997
2 time all American
7 years professional baseball (last 3 being with the New York Yankees)
7th year at CPS as a coach
3rd year as Head Coach; Record (84-12)
Owner/operator of JackHammer Baseball

Top ranked Brookhaven advances to face CP

Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas
The Brookhaven Cougars did just what head coach Casey Edwards wanted them to do after a game one upset loss at River Oaks on Tuesday. Edwards and the Cougars decided to swing the bats and just hit hard in the critical games two and three yesterday at Brookhaven. The aggressive hitting paid off as Brookhaven swept both games to eliminate River Oaks and advance to round two to take on perennial powerhouse Central Private in a best of three games series next week.

Game one….
River Oaks wasted little time in grabbing an early lead as lead off hitter Vincent Moore drove a full count pitch over the right field wall to put the Mustang’s up early 1-0. Unlike their loss on Tuesday Brookhaven responded in their half of the first inning by exploding with six runs. Tripp Jolly’s single to left field scored Brent Henderson to tie the game at 1-1. With the bases loaded Donavan Lorraine’s hard infield shot scored Bubba Keene and Lorraine reached base on an error. Brookhaven added their third run as Hunter Franklin drew a walk with the bases loaded and then Tyler Parvin drilled a double to left field to score Hunter McCollough and Lorraine. The Cougars increased their lead to 6-1 as Jacob Phillips brought in another run on a fielder’s choice.
Brookhaven added to their lead in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Donavan Lorraine and Hunter Franklin each hit singles and Tyler Parvin did the same to drive in Lorraine and give the Cougars a 7-1 cushion. Following a wild pitch and runners on 2nd and 3rd Brent Henderson nailed a single to left field to score courtesy runner Landon Nettles. Brookhaven made it 9-1 on a Bubba Keene one out fly ball to deep center to score Parvin.
River Oaks managed to generate two runs in the top half of the 4th inning as a bases loaded infield single from Darryl Barnes scored PJ Bendenbender and Jacob Byrd but Brookhaven starter Tripp Jolly would retire 9 of the next 12 Mustang hitters to close out the game and give Brookhaven a 9-3 win to tie the series at 1-1.
Jolly went the distance for the Cougars allowing 7 hits and striking out 8. Jolly also helped his cause at the plate with two singles and a double.

Game two….
Brookhaven jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one inning in game two. Will Gatlin’s double to center field scored Brent Henderson and after Tripp Jolly drew a walk Hunter McCollough’s infield hit scored Gatlin to put the Cougar’s up 2-0. Jolly then scored from 3rd base on a wild pitch for a 3-0 Brookhaven advantage.
Brookhaven added two more runs in the 2nd inning when senior Will Gatlin crushed a John Rockett 3-1 pitch off the scoreboard in left field with Bubba Keene on base.
River Oaks got a run in the 3rd inning as Vincent Moore sent a two out 1-1 pitch over the center field wall. The Mustang’s looked primed to do serious damage in the inning as Ryan MacGregor singled and John Rockett drew a walk. A fielding error from an infield grounder by PJ Bendenbender loaded the bases but senior starter Tyler Parvin got out off the jam by striking out Darryl Barnes to preserve a 5-1 Cougar lead.
River Oaks quieted the Brookhaven crowd in the top of the 4th inning when sophomore Ryan MacGregor sent a bases loaded shot over the right field wall for a grand slam to tie the game 5-5.
Brookhaven went back ahead in their half of the inning as River Oaks reliever Ryan MacGregor found himself in some serious trouble. With the bases loaded MacGregor walked in Will Gatlin and Tripp Jolly to put Brookhaven back on top at 7-5 before striking out Hunter Franklin to end the 4th inning.
Brookhaven broke the game open in the 5th inning as the first four batters reached base. Bubba Keene did damage as he drilled a double to score Will Lucas and Brent Henderson scored from 3rd base on a wild pitch by reliever Casey Rahn. With runners on 2nd and 3rd base Tripp Jolly’s grounder scored Bubba Keene to give Brookhaven a 10-5 lead. Brookhaven made it 11-5 on a Hunter McCullough single that scored Will Gatlin.

Brookhaven went on to take a 13-6 win with Tyler Parvin going 5 innings giving up 7 hits and picking up 4 strikeouts to earn the win.
Senior Will Gatlin collected a homer and two doubles (4 RBI) while both Brent Henderson and Hunter McCollough each had two singles in the game.
Ryan MacGregor, Vincent Moore and Stephen Bragg all had homers for River Oaks.
Brookhaven improves to 23-6 on the season while River Oaks finishes their campaign at 16-10.

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Post game comments:
Brookhaven head coach Casey Edwards
“Today we made up our minds that we were going to hit and hit it hard all day and that’s something we didn’t do in game one. Our goal today was to hit everything hard and if they fielded clean and threw us out, props to them. We needed to come out today and be aggressive and we knew that if we got the lead early our pitching would carry us.”
“I think we went over there (River Oaks) Tuesday just a little too relaxed, we didn’t know much about them other than what we had heard. We thought they were a caliber of team that we didn’t have to play our best but still come away with a win and we got shocked.”
“Tripp Jolly is our best pitcher. He’s been a little tender after his last few starts but I hope he can be ready to start on Monday, we’ll wait and see. It’s been Jolly, Parvin and McCollough most of the year but we’ll see how everybody feels through the weekend and make a judgment call then as to who we’ll start in game one.”
River Oaks head coach Michael Johnston
“I thought our guys fought hard from the beginning of the series. Brookhaven may have been a little over confident for game one at our place and we caught them by surprise. They weren’t quite ready and we played well.”
“Today we didn’t play as well; we made a couple of errors, pitching mistakes and some bases on balls. We have some good young kids and I think we’ll be back, we have a prosperous future. The next couple of years for sure. Some of the younger kids came through tonight for us and I think defensively we’re usually pretty solid but we didn’t do as well tonight.”
“We play in a pretty good baseball district but we need to play in more regular season tournaments like the Mississippi schools do. We would love to get invited to some tournaments next season, we’ll go almost anywhere. Brookhaven is a very good team and the type of program we’re striving to be.”

MAIS TRACK SOUTH A-AA STATE FIELD EVENTS

MAIS Boys Track South A-AA Meet

MAIS Girls Track South A-AA Meet

Marshall beats Hillcrest in thriller

Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas

Josh Vanderburg’s two run homer in the top of the 7th inning capped off a three run rally to propel Marshall to a 9-7 first round playoff win over Hillcrest in Jackson. With the win the #2 ranked Patriots take a 1-0 lead as the series now shifts back to Holly Springs on Thursday.
In a wild game that included clutch hitting and base running to throwing errors and a one hour power outage both teams battled back and forth to set up a thrilling 7th inning.
Marshall jumped on Hillcrest starter Josh Rogers early as the Patriots scored 4 runs in their half of the 1st inning. Parker James led the game off with a single and got into scoring position after stealing second base. An infield single from Tyler Childers advanced James to third and Jake Omedeo’s single to center field brought James home for Marshall’s first run. Designated hitter JW Ray smashed a double scoring both Childers and Omedeo to push the Marshall lead to 3-0. The Patriots increased their lead to 4-0 as JW Ray scored on a Josh Vanderburg blooper that was dropped.
Hillcrest matched Marshall with four runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. Josh Rogers hit a lead off single and James Adams drew a walk to set up a Justin Smith double that scored Trent Driver who replaced Rogers as a courtesy runner. Caleb Baucum then reached base on a throwing error which scored Adams to cut the deficit to 4-2. Hillcrest knotted the game at 4-4 when Thomas Woodruff nailed a two out single to score Smith and Baucum.

(Above) Caleb Baucum of Hillcrest connected on two big hits
Marshall grabbed two more runs in the 2nd inning as Jake Omedeo’s long fly to the wall in deep center couldn’t be caught scoring Elgin Lafever. Omedeo scored from third to give Marshall a 6-4 lead when Joey Omedeo’s grounder to third baseman Remarcus Stallings wasn’t handled.
Hillcrest punched back with two runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning, Remarcus Stallings drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third base on catcher Josh Vanderburg’s errant throw to first base. A Josh Rogers single to right field scored Stallings to trim the lead to 6-5. Trent Driver, running for Rogers, stole second and third base and then tied the game at 6-6 when Justin Smith’s infield grounder scored the freshman to tie the game.

Both pitchers settled in and began controlling the batters to start the 3rd inning. Rogers began hitting his target as the southpaw struck out 11 of the next 12 batters he faced.
Marshall starter Will Patton retired six of seven Hillcrest batters after the second inning but ran into trouble in the bottom of the 5th inning. Caleb Baucum crushed a lead off double to deep center field followed by Austin Hartzog’s infield single. After Hartzog stole second, designated hitter Thomas Woodruff laid down a textbook bunt down the third base line to score Baucum and give Hillcrest their first lead of the game at 7-6. Patton controlled the damage as the senior struck out TJ Knowles and Drew Fountain to end the inning.
Marshall was primed to tie the game in the top of the 6th with one out when Parker James reached base on an infield hit and then stole second base. Elgin Lefever’s line drive smash that looked like it would clear the gap between third and shortstop was snagged on a diving catch by shortstop Austin Hartzog to save a run.
Will Patton found himself in trouble again in the bottom half of the inning as Hillcrest had runners on second and third with one out as a result of a walk and an error by second baseman Joey Omedeo, but Patton struck out Justin Smith and forced a ground out from Austin Hartzog to end the inning with Hillcrest clinging to a 7-6 lead.
Hillcrest pitcher Josh Rogers seemed ready to close the deal as the senior was clocking 85 mph on his fastball and in complete control over the previous four innings but a lead off walk to Jake Omedeo on five pitches put the tying run on base. Sophomore speedster Andy Burleson replaced Omedeo as a pinch runner at first base and a well executed bunt from Joey Omedeo moved Burleson into scoring position at second. A third strike pitch to JW Ray was dropped by catcher Lee Ogletree and the freshman’s throw to first base was high and rolled into right field scoring Burleson from second base to tie the game at 7-7. Up stepped junior Josh Vanderburg who nailed the first pitch over the right field wall for a two run homer to give Marshall a 9-7 lead. Caleb Baucum relieved Rogers after 6 and 1/3 innings and retired the following two hitters.
Will Patton finished the game by striking out the side and ending any hopes Hillcrest had of rallying.
With the win Marshall improves to 27-5 while Hillcrest falls to 17-9. Game two will be Thursday at 5pm in Holly Springs. Game three, if necessary, will immediately follow.
Will Patton went the entire distance for Marshall to improve to 8-1. Patton gave up 8 hits and 3 earned runs while striking out 14.
Josh Rogers took the loss after going 6 and 1/3 innings giving up 8 hits and striking out 15.

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Post game comments:
Marshall head coach Johnny Ray
“We knew after we got a 4-0 lead that Rogers was going to give us everything he had and that Hillcrest was going to compete and get right back in it and they did. We matched each other the whole game and we just happened to get the big break at the end.”
“In the top of the 7th we got some breaks and then Josh Vanderburg stepped up and delivered. He’s the hardest working kid I have and at times he has struggled at the plate this year and for him to step up and get a hit like that was tremendous.”
“There’s no doubt that winning game one here tonight is big but I look back to last year when we played Canton and lost game one at home, won game two at their place and then we lost game three back at our place so it’s just a crazy game. I understand anything can happen, Hillcrest is a very talented team and I know they’re going to run some very goods arms at us but we’ll just keep on competing like we’ve done all year.”

Crain taking over Simpson boy's basketball

Southern Sports & Travel

Simpson Academy is pleased to announce the hiring of James Crain as the school's new boys basketball coach. Coach Crain is a Simpson county native and coached at Mendenhall High School for 27 years. During the past six seasons Crain has lead the basketball program at Hillcrest Christian School.
Coach Crain has been one of the most successful basketball coaches in the history of Mississippi high school basketball. He has compiled an incredible record of 753 wins and 245 losses. Five teams he has coach have won state championships while three others have been state runner-ups. While at Mendenhall High School in 2000, he was named the Mississippi Coach of the Year. (Above) Simpson athletic director Billy Wayne Hankins on left with new Simpson boy's head basketball coach James Crain
Crain also brings a strong academic background to Simpson. He is a graduate of Hinds Community College, the University of Southern Mississippi, and Mississippi College. He has served as a science teacher and as a principal at both Mendenhall and Hillcrest. Coach Crain will serve as a science instructor at SCA. Simpson Academy Athletic Director Billy W. Hankins said, "We would like to welcome Coach Crain, his wife Kathy, and the enter family to Simpson Academy." "I have always been impressed with his coaching ability but even more impressed with the discipline his teams show on and off the court. He is most definitely one of the top coaches in the state, and we are very fortunate to have him at Simpson Academy." Coach Crain stated, " I am very excited to be coaching again in Simpson county." "We are very excited to continue to build on the success at Simpson Academy." "We are ready to get started as soon as possible in getting our players ready for next year."

Brookhaven's Jake Reed signs with Co-Lin

Jake Reed of Brookhaven Academy has signed a basketball scholarship with Co-Lin Community College. Reed averaged 17 points, 6 assists and 3 rebounds in leading the Cougars to the AA State Championship and was a two time Southern Sports & Travel All AA selection.

(Above) Jake Reed with mother Teresa Reed and Brookhaven head coach Dale Watts.

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*Comments:

G. Harris said...
Congrats Jake! You had a great career at BA and best of luck to you at Co-Lin!

From the notebook………

*The 2010 baseball regular season has concluded in single-A and AA while AAA teams will play on through the next two weeks before entering their post season play. The first round in AA will be highlighted by a matchup between top five teams, #2 Marshall and #5 Hillcrest, who will start their best of three series Tuesday at Hillcrest. Projected starters are Will Patton for Marshall and Josh Rogers for Hillcrest.
*A note of interest could be Central Private being idle for 17 days. The Rebels last played on April 9th in a double-header with Adams Christian and have a first round bye. They will not see action again until April 27th against the winner of the Brookhaven/River Oaks series. While the Rebels should have rested arms, what effect the long lay-off will have on CP’s bats could be interesting.
*If there was ever an argument for having an overall baseball tournament it could be made this season. In the last four weeks AA teams in the Southern Sports & Travel Top Ten have recorded four wins over AAA Top Five squads. Hillcrest took apart Jackson Prep 13-3 on 3/26, Brookhaven over Copiah 13-6 on 3/27, Hillcrest over Copiah 11-5 on 4/16 and Simpson over Parklane 7-5 this past Saturday. Throw in Centreville’s 10-7 win over a very good Oak Forest team on 4/16 and Marshall’s 14-8 win over MHSAA 6A Olive Branch on 4/2 and it’s easy to see the parity in MAIS baseball.
*MAIS homerun leaders are posted but not official. If additions or changes to the list are needed please email or text me. Hunter Renfroe of Copiah has been on a roll with 18 homers while Bubba Keene of Brookhaven leads all AA players with 14 on the season.
*I’ve posted an article on Parklane’s junior high baseball team. It wouldn’t surprise me to see these 8th graders bring some hardware to a Parklane baseball program that has some great seasons ahead of them. Big “shout out” to Coach Russell Cruise and the outstanding job he has done in developing a powerhouse in junior high baseball.
*The All MAIS Basketball teams were announced recently with Brooke Rhodes of East Rankin and Jaron Edwards of Bowling Green taking home Player of the Year awards. A big “shout out” to both those seniors as they pursue their college basketball careers. Hayden Eustachy of Presbyterian has inked with Southern Miss and Brookhaven’s Jake Reed is expected to sign with Co-Lin.
*Rumors have been swirling about Hillcrest head basketball coach James Crain taking over the head coaching duties at Simpson. An official statement is expected in the coming days. It's been confirmed that James Crain will be the new boy's basketball coach at Simpson.
*Track will get its’ share of attention this week as both the north and south regional track meets get underway leading up to the Class Track Meet at the end of the month.

*Southern Sports & Travel will soon receive its' 100,000th visit. What that lucky person will receive is still up in the air.

God is great!

See ya somewhere..................

Parklane 8th grade squad turning heads
Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas

I recently did something I had promised myself that I wouldn’t do…cover a junior high athletic event. While making a concerted effort to extend coverage to AAA sports on top of the 28 AA schools that I try to keep tabs on is quite enough to keep me running and if I ventured ever so slightly into junior high athletics it could open up a huge can of worms that I’m not prepared to tackle.

Read more......http://southernsportsandtravel.com/

Varsity Districts 3AA, 4AA & 5AA Track Championships

Team results:
*District 3AA
Boys:
1. Canton 135 Pts.
2. Hillcrest 66 Pts.
3. Simpson 53 Pts.
4. Lamar 9 Pts.
Girls:
1. Canton 99 Pts.
2. Hillcrest 58 Pts.
3. Simpson 51 Pts.
4. Lamar 6 Pts.

*District 4AA
Boys:
1. Columbia 135 Pts.
2. Brookhaven 57 Pts.
3. Central Hinds 56 Pts.
Girls:
1. Columbia 103 Pts.
2. Brookhaven 83 Pts.
3. Central Hinds 35 Pts.

*District 5AA
Boys:
1. Centreville - 92.5
2. Silliman - 79.5
3. Central Private - 65
4. ACCS - 21
5. WCCA - 17
Girls:
1. Silliman - 110
2. Centreville - 38
3. ACCS - 35
4. WCCA - 33
5. Central Private - 23

GLENBROOK CLAIMS DISTRICT TITLE

Glenbrook's Levi Reagan is mobbed at home plate after knocking a two-run, tiebreaking home run in the top of the eighth inning of Game 1 against Prairie View yesterday.

**Photo courtesy of Marq Mitcham

The Stretch Run...Hillcrest Christian

Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas

There are a handful of teams that stand a legitimate chance of winning a State AA Baseball Championship this season. The upcoming playoffs should produce some great series as both the north and south regions battle it out for the right to face each other during the week of May 10th. Which teams have the best pitching rotations and players that can produce clutch hitting will unfold in the upcoming weeks.
The tradition rich Hillcrest Cougars, coached by former Mississippi State standout Shane Kelly, are currently 16-7 and ranked 4th in the latest Southern Sports & Travel Top Ten and have nailed down the #2 seed from District 3AA with a 6-2 mark. The Cougars will take on top ranked Marshall in round one of the playoffs beginning next week.
Over the past 20 years, Hillcrest teams have appeared in the MPSA State Championship twelve times, including championships in 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2006, 2007 & 2008.
Hillcrest possesses one of the better pitching rotations in MAIS baseball with three seasoned seniors in Austin Hartzog (Ole Miss), Josh Rogers (USM) and Caleb Baucum (Hinds CC). The trio not only help fuel one of the best baseball programs in the MAIS but they have also played on one of the premier summer travel teams. All three seniors have played for the Mississippi Worth Bandits since 2003. The Bandits have consistently been ranked near the top nationally and have compiled a remarkable 425-79 record since 2001.
Leading hitters for Hillcrest are Justin Smith and Josh Rogers. Smith, a junior, leads the team with a .446 average while Rogers, a senior, is hitting .421.

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From the dugout with Coach Shane Kelly:
*Is there any added pressure coaching at such a tradition rich baseball school as Hillcrest is?
“No not really. I go to the field every day and work my kids as hard as I can to prepare them for the game. There is only one way to do things and that is 100% whether you are at a tradition rich school or not.”
*What do you feel your guys need to do a better job at?
“I have a fairly young ball club. They are making some mistakes due to inexperience. They are getting better each game. The one thing we have gotten better at as the year has progressed is cutting down our strike outs.”
*What will it take to make a run at a state title?
“We have been a streaky hitting team. We need to be a little more consistent. Our pitching has been great and our defense has been pretty sound except one game this year. I have played or will play some tough public schools like Petal and St. Al along with some 3a private schools to try and prepare us for the playoffs.”
*Who do your guys look to for leadership on the team?
“Caleb Baucum and Josh Rogers have been the front runners for leadership. They have done a great job this year.”
*Will Austin Hartzog be 100% soon?
“Austin is fine. I don't know the rotation yet, but my 3 seniors have done great on the mound this year. We believe when Austin Hartzog, Josh Rogers, or Caleb Baucum are on the mound we feel we can win any game with a few runs scored.”

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Remaining games:
Brookhaven today (15th) at Hillcrest
Copiah tomorrow (16th) in Gallman

Carroll Academy hires new football coach

New Carroll coach has familiar name
Courtesy of The Greenwood Commonwealth
Despite Roger Gordon's long absence from coaching, Steve Flemming believes he has the right man for the job.

Gordon, 52, was introduced as the new head football coach at Carroll Academy on Friday. Gordon replaces John David Higginbotham.
Flemming, the school's athletic director and soon-to-be headmaster, announced in early March that Higginbotham's contract for a third season would not be renewed. Higginbotham was 3-19 in two seasons at Carrollton.
"I feel like Roger brings good knowledge of the game and will be a big plus for our program," Flemming said.
Gordon last coached football in 1990 as an assistant varsity coach and the junior high head coach at Carroll. He worked in that capacity for seven years. He has been in private business since.
"I had some people at Carroll contact me about this job, and after a lot of thought and prayer, I decided to make the leap," Gordon said. "It's going to be a challenge, but I know I can handle it. I love this school and the people up here."
He is the young brother of former Carroll head coach Robert Gordon, who ran a successful program from 1982-1989. The CA field was named in his honor last season.
"Roger has a good name that people here will recognize and has a a good background in football," Flemming said. "I don't believe his layoff from coaching will be a factor."
Gordon, a running back at Ole Miss in the late 1970s, is the fifth head coach at CA in the last seven years. He takes over a program that has had seven straight losing seasons and hit rock bottom with back-to-back winless seasons in 2007 and 2008.
The Rebels ended a 28-game losing streak last season and haven't been to the playoffs since Tommy Nester's final season there in 1998, when Carroll played in the state AAA championship game.
Gordon said his first objective is to change the overall attitude of the athletes.
"Losing is a habit, and you have to learn to win. We've got to instill that winning spirit so that we believe we can win every time we hit the field," Gordon said.
Carroll has also hired Joe Taylor of Greenwood to serve as an assistant football and boys basketball coach.
Taylor, who has been an assistant coach at Humphreys Academy in Belzoni, will be the head coach in junior high boys basketball and will be groomed by Flemming to take over the varsity program in a couple of years.

The Stretch Run...Marshall Academy
Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas

There are a handful of teams that stand a legitimate chance of winning a State AA Baseball Championship this season. The upcoming playoffs should produce some great series as both the north and south regions battle it out for the right to face each other during the week of May 10th. Which teams have the best pitching rotations and players that can produce clutch hitting will unfold in the upcoming weeks.
During the upcoming stretch run several of those teams that may have all the pieces in place to make that championship run will be highlighted here on Southern Sports & Travel.
It’s been a gradual climb in the rankings for the Marshall Patriots over the past five weeks. After hovering in the top five for much of that time the Patriots have taken the top spot in the latest Southern Sports & Travel Top Ten rankings. Last Friday’s 14-8 win over MHSAA 6A Olive Branch cemented Marshall as one of the premier teams in MAIS AA baseball and as the District 1AA champions prepare for the upcoming playoffs the task for head coach Johnny Ray is to have his squad fully prepared in order to make a run at a state title. Top ranked Marshall sports a 24-4 record and completed district play with an unblemished 12-0 mark.

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From the dugout with coach Johnny Ray:

*Marshall has been one of the hottest teams in AA baseball. What do you attribute the consistent play to?

"Our pitching staff has been rock solid. Led by seniors Will Patton (6-1) and Parker James (5-0), they have pitched some really big innings for us and will continue to do so. Our pitching staff is really deep. Joey Brock (4-1) is a junior who has been steady. John Wesley Ray (1-1 2 saves) and Dustin Allen (2-0) are underclassmen who have pitched in some key situations. Aaron McAlexander (1-0) and Evan Hickman (2-0) have provided depth. For the most part, as a group, we have pitched really well. We do not have any overpowering arms, but we have an abundance of guys who know how to pitch. We have issued very few walks and made our opponents put the ball in play. In addition, we have played defense very well to this point."
*What do you feel your guys need to do a better job at?

"Our hitting has been Jekyl and Hyde. To keep advancing in the playoffs, I feel we are going to have to be more productive at the plate. James has led us to this point, hitting .444 in the leadoff spot. Sophomore Elgin Lafever has handled the bat well batting .359 and Jake Omedeo has anchored the middle of the line up batting .313. Getting Tyler Childers back in the lineup after a month absence is going to be a big boost. When he went out he was leading us in RBI’s with 13 after 9 games. We have really missed him in the three spot of our lineup. Brock (.282), Ray (.354), Caleb Byrd (.324), Jacob McMinn (.349) and Joey Omedeo (.300) have all gotten some clutch hits for us in some key situations. After struggling thru the first month, Josh Vanderburg (.273) has seemed to find his stroke at the plate."
*What will it take to make a run at a state title?

"I think every team that is going to make a run will need a little luck on their side but besides that, keep playing opportunistic baseball. We must take advantage of our scoring chances and continue to make the routine plays defensively. We have won a lot of close games to this point in the season. That will definitely help us once the playoffs start because all of those games will be nail biters."
* Who do your guys look to for leadership on the team?

"They feed off of each other. No one has really emerged as a leader among my five seniors. They do pull for each other as a team, but my seniors are all pretty quiet. I just ask them to play the game the right way, pull for each other and not against their opponent. Vanderburg, a junior catcher, has done a tremendous job behind the plate. We rely on him in many ways and he has really stepped up defensively. You always rely on your catcher to take charge and he has done just that."
*What teams in the north concern you the most as playoff time approaches?

"The winner of District 1 has to go through District 3. ALL of those teams concern me. There are a lot of really good teams in District 3 and looking at box scores, very evenly matched. The one that gets the most press is Hillcrest. With arms like Hartzog and Rogers they will have to be considered the most lethal in a best 2 out of 3 playoff format. Canton eliminated us from the playoffs last year and look to be right back in the hunt again. Simpson looks to be a very solid team leading the pack right now. Of course, you can never count Lamar out of the race. Looking at District 2, Coach Shanks has Carroll playing really well and Manchester can really swing it. You can’t count out Indianola either. Coach Putnam’s boys play hard and have three very good arms. We were very fortunate against them."

The Johnny Ray resume.......

*Second year at Marshall Academy after spending seven years (three as head coach) at Southwest TN CC in Memphis. Coached STCC to first ever Region 23 championship in 2004. Had overall record as 101-68 at STCC, including setting the single season win mark (40).

*1985 Graduate of Marshall Academy
*Played at Northwest MS CC 1986-1987
*Played at Delta State University 1988-1989
*Played in the Cincinnati Reds Organization from 1989-1993.

*Marshall was 21-14 a year ago winning District 1AA for third consecutive year.

The week ahead:

Thursday Marshall hosts Rossville Academy

Pillow takes down top-ranked Jackson Academy
Courtesy of The Greenwood Commonwealth

Jackson Academy waltzed into Louis Coleman Field as the top-ranked private school baseball team in the state but limped away dazed and confused.
Senior ace Jared Meeks kept the Raiders totally off balance at the plate while his teammates did their job at the plate in a 10-2 victory Tuesday at Pillow. "That was a huge win against a really good team," said Mustang coach Tim Burton, whose team has won five of its last seven games. PA improves to 10-9 overall, 6-4 in the North AAA standings while snapping the Raiders' eight-game win streak. JA slips to 14-4, 7-3.
The two teams will play a doubleheader at JA Thursday. Meeks has obviously worked his way back into top form after missing about three weeks of action earlier in the season with an arm injury. In his third game back, Meeks pitched a complete game on his 18th birthday, giving up two runs on seven hits while striking out eight and walking none. "Jared is certainly back," Burton said. "He pitched a great game against a great team. JA never could figure him out. He does such a good job with his slider because he throws it from two different arm slots." He threw only 82 pitches in a complete game. That is a very commanding performance."
JA went up 1-0 in the top of the first inning on an RBI double by Michael Martin, but the Mustangs came back in the bottom of the inning to go up 2-1. James Davidson led off with a walk and scored on a double by Andrew Ables, who later scored from third base on a groundball out by Bo Farmer. Pillow added a run in the second to take control of the game. Adam Crick reached on an error and scored on a double by Davidson to make it 3-1. The Mustangs then chased Raider ace Michael Martin from the game with two outs in the third inning after second baseman Zack Davis ripped a two-run home run just inside the poll in left field.
It was the first homer in varsity action for the 5-foot-7, 160-pound junior who was mobbed by his teammates after crossing home plate. Burton said Davis' home run might have surprised some people but not him. "Zack always hits the ball hard. He just got the right elevation on that one," said the first-year PA head coach. "That really got our guys fired up. They were really happy for him because Zack is such a great kid. They love to have fun with him." After the Mustangs pushed their lead to 5-1, things went south for the Raiders, who gave up two runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth without giving up a hit. JA finished with six errors. Davis had a homer, while Davidson and Ables each added a double. Landon Taylor, Gaston Lyon, Jim Tom Pilgreen and Crick each had a single.

Rogers sets new school record at Hillcrest

Josh Rogers earned his 27th career pitching win Monday night in a 2-1 victory over Lamar School. This is a new school record, breaking the record of 26 wins set by Glenn Morris 1995-98. Morris had 26 wins in 4 years pitching, Rogers is in his 5th year.
Rogers is a USM signee. Stats this year are 3-2 record, 2.29 ERA, 65 K's in 33.2 IP. Rogers also set the record for strikeouts in a season last year with 119 K's breaking the record set by Cody Satterwhite of 117.

Hillcrest edges Lamar 2-1 in pitcher's duel
Southern Sports & Travel
Hillcrest Christian and Lamar squared off Monday night in a key District 3-AA matchup. Southern Mississippi signee Josh Rogers pitched a complete game three hitter with nineteen strikeouts and only allowed one earned run. Lamar School’s John Countiss responded with a complete game four hitter with seven strikeouts and surrendered one earned run on the night.
Lamar struck first in the third inning when Gunner Catlett connected for a RBI single to plate Barrett Dudley and give Lamar the lead at 1-0. Hillcrest responded in the bottom of the frame when a fielders choice scored their lone run of the inning. Each team would threaten in the next three innings but solid defense and pitching kept the game tied at 1-1. In the top of the seventh, Lamar would place a man on third with no outs and could not plate the run. Two strikeouts and a groundout ended the threat and setup the fireworks in the bottom of the frame. After a leadoff walk and a fielding error, Justin Smith delivered a one out hit to deep center field which plated the winning run for the Cougars.
Scott Nabors had a single and Chase Davis had a double for the Raiders. Austin Hartzog had a single and Caleb Baucum added a double for Cougars.

Hillcrest improves to 12-7 overall and 4-2 in district play while Lamar slips to 8-7 and 2-4.

Lamar returns to action Tuesday at Pickens Academy while Hillcrest hosts Leake Academy.

The Stretch Run......Brookhaven Academy

Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas
There are a handful of teams that stand a legitimate chance of winning a State AA Baseball Championship this season. The upcoming playoffs should produce some great series as both the north and south regions battle it out for the right to face each other during the week of May 10th. Which teams have the best pitching rotations and players that can produce clutch hitting will unfold in the upcoming weeks.
During the upcoming stretch run several of those teams that may have all the pieces in place to make that championship run will be highlighted here on Southern Sports & Travel.
One of those teams that should be in the thick of things are the Brookhaven Cougars who currently occupy the #3 ranking in the latest Southern Sports & Travel Top Ten. Brookhaven head coach Casey Edwards is at the helm of one the hottest teams in AA baseball and could very well have all the needed pieces to challenge for a state championship. The Cougars are 13-5 overall and 4-0 in District 4AA play.

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From the dugout with coach Casey Edwards:
*Back on March 11th Brookhaven was 2-4 after a 10-0 loss to Parklane. Since then Brookhaven has been one of the hottest teams in AA. What can you attribute the turnaround to?
"The Parklane loss was definitely an eye opener. That night, we realized a lot of things that we had been taking for granted and a lot of things we needed to improve on. We knew we had the potential to be pretty good, but at that point in our season, we all agreed that we were not that good of a team. We had a game the following day at 4, so we showed up that day at 11 and practiced. Things just seemed to start falling into place for us after that. No doubt, offensively we've improved tremendously, and it's not just 1-4 or 5. Everyone in the line-up has stepped up and started to produce when we need them to. We've also played much better defensively and our pitchers have been giving us a chance to win. Getting some of our starters back 100% from injuries has also helped us as a team."
*What do you feel your guys need to do a better job at?
"I still feel like our pitching staff can make improvements. Sometimes, we tend to give away too many free bases. This is something we are definitely trying to improve on before the playoffs. With that being said, I'm still very proud of the performances our pitchers have been giving us."
*What will it take to make a run at a state title?
"For us to make a run at state this year, several things are going to have to happen. We are going to have to continue to improve offensively, especially as we face tougher and tougher pitchers. We are also going to have to continue to improve defensively and obviously, stay healthy."
*Who do your guys look to for leadership on the team?
"We stress leadership to our guys on a daily basis, especially to the seniors. This seems to have created several leaders amongst the team, instead of just one clear leader. The majority of leadership has definitely come from our seniors this season."
*With Brookhaven having captured state titles in football and basketball this season is there any added pressure on you and your guys?
"We actually began talking about winning a state championship in baseball as soon as school started. Winning the championships in football and basketball this season has actually been a good thing for me and our baseball program. Obviously, our team consists of several of those guys who already have a championship this year. When those guys got to baseball, they were anything but satisfied. They have experienced what it takes to win and what it takes to win big games, and they're hungry for that in baseball as well. We really don't look at it as pressure, but as an opportunity to do something really special for our program and our school."

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Inside the numbers……
Hitting
Bubba Keene - .514, 7 2B, 2 3B, 8 HR
Will Gatlin - .483, 6 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR
Tripp Jolly - .431, 8 2B, 3 HR
Hunter Franklin - .382, 3 2B, 1 HR
Tyler Parvin - .341, 5 2B, 1 HR
Brent Henderson - .333, 7 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR
Hunter McCullough - .333, 2 2B, 4 HR
Donovan Lorraine - .320, 2 2B
Dan Coleman - .318, 3 2B
Team - .387, 43 2B, 6 3B, 23 HR
Pitching
Tyler Parvin - 5-3, 2.67 ERA, 39.33 IP, 52 K's, 18 BB's
Tripp Jolly - 2-1, 2.68 ERA, 31.33 IP, 48 K's, 20 BB's
Bubba Keene - 3-0, 3.55 ERA, 21.67 IP, 21 K's, 15 BB's
Hunter McCullough - 3-1, 4.63 ERA, 19.67 IP, 28 K's, 8 BB's
Team - 13-5, 3.26 ERA, 113.67 IP, 153 K's, 63 BB's
The week ahead:
Tuesday at Columbia
Thursday host Columbia
Friday host UCS
Saturday at UCS

Centreville and Adams split critical doubleheader

Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas

In what has become a red hot battle for a playoff spot in District 5AA Adams Christian traveled to Centreville yesterday for a crucial double header that both teams deemed vital as the last week of district games approach. After the dust had cleared on a gusty day the teams split two games but for Centreville winning 2 of 3 from Adams this week positioned the Tigers to control their own destiny as they prepare for a huge three game series with Silliman next week.
Game one….
Centreville freshman Randy Bell improved to 4-2 after going five innings and giving up two runs on 8 hits in a 12-2 win over Adams Christian.
The Tigers took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning as a Brad Jelks RBI grounder to second scored Hunter Travis. Centreville upped their lead to 2-0 in the second inning when Justin Bellue’s in-field grounder drove in Corey Gaulden.
ACCS got things going in the top of the 3rd inning as Tanner Martin led off with an in-field hit. Martin then advanced to second on a Bryce Murray sacrifice bunt and Chris Perry’s single to left brought Martin home to trim the deficit to 2-1. Unfortunately for the Rebels the bottom half of the inning proved disastrous as Centreville sent ten batters to the plate and quickly upped their lead to 8-1. Justin Bellue did most of the damage in the inning as the senior belted a bases loaded double to left field to score three runners.
Centreville increased their lead to 10-1 in the bottom of the 5th when Tyler Towles hit a left field single with the bases loaded that scored Randy Bell and Cale McKey. With the bases loaded ACCS escaped what could have been an early end when Corey Gaulden’s fly out to short center ended the inning.
The Rebel’s picked up a run in the sixth inning when a Brandon Sanders double to left field scored Johnny Smith. Centreville finished ACCS off in the bottom of the 6th as the Tigers added two more runs to take a 12-2 win.
Centreville was led at the plate by Justin Bellue who picked up 4 RBI’s on 3 of 5 hitting including two doubles.

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Game two….
Adams Christian avoided a series sweep with an important 6-3 win in the nightcap of a doubleheader with Centreville. Jake Brumfield went the distance for the Rebels striking out 8 and allowing 10 hits to improve to 3-4 on the season.
The Rebels got out on top early as Chris Perry and Jake Brumfield hit back to back one out doubles in the first inning. Brumfield’s double scored Perry to give ACCS a 1-0 lead. ACCS added two more runs in the 2nd inning when Perry hit a hard line drive single to left field with the bases loaded scoring Landon Givens and Tanner Martin.
Centreville answered with two runs in the bottom of the 3rd on a bases loaded single by Tyler Towles that scored Gage Chandler and Hunter Travis to cut the ACCS lead to 3-2. Centreville knotted the game at 3-3 with a two out rally in the bottom half of the 5th inning as Tyler Towles and Cliff Hurst both nailed singles to left field. Corey Gaulden’s hard come-backer to pitcher Jake Brumfield resulted in a throwing error to first base allowing Tyler Towles to score to tie the game at 3-3.
Roles reversed in the top of the 6th inning as a Centreville fielding error put Adams Christian back on top at 4-3. Tanner Martin led the inning off with a single to right field and then advanced to second on a fielder’s choice. With two out Jake Brumfield’s hard grounder to 3rd base was scooped up by Cliff Hurst but the throw was dropped at first allowing Martin to score.
Centreville mounted another two out rally in the bottom of the 6th inning. The Tigers loaded the bases on consecutive two out singles by Hunter Travis and Randy Bell followed by a Brad Jelks walk but a Tyler Towles check swing grounder back to pitcher Jake Brumfield ended the inning.
ACCS added two insurance runs in the top of the 7th inning when Collin Dollar scored on a Landon Givens single to right field and Bryce Murray’s bases loaded single scored pinch runner Cody Reinhart to give the Rebel’s a 6-3 cushion.
Centreville started the top of the 7th with a lead off single from Cliff Hurst. Jake Brumfield then sat down Corey Gaulden and Cale McKey on strikeouts but hit Justin Bellue with a pitch to allow Gage Chandler to come to the plate and represent the tying run. Chandler responded with a single but Brandon Sanders made a prefect throw from left field to throw out Cliff Hurst at the plate to end the game at 6-3.
Chris Perry led Adams Christian at the plate going 2-4 and collecting 2 RBI’s.
Centreville winds up at 14-6 overall but more importantly 6-3 in district play with a three game series with Silliman (5-4) remaining.
Adams Christian sits at 10-10 and 5-4 with a three game series with Central Private scheduled for next week.
“We took it to them in the first game,” said Centreville head coach Jason Horne. “Our bats let us down in the second game, we couldn’t get the timely hits we needed and we had some errors. We’re very young with only three seniors but our young guys are learning. Our playoffs start on Monday, we control our own destiny. If we win 2 of 3 from Silliman were in,” said Horne.
For Adams Christian the task may be more challenging but the Rebels are still in the race.
“We’re still in the hunt,” said ACCS head coach Hunter McKeivier. “We have a big series with Central Private next week but we’ve played some pretty good teams the past few weeks that have prepared us better. Centreville is one of those teams and I’ll say it right now, Centreville can hit with anybody. Tonight’s win was a great team effort and great pitching from Jake Brumfield coming off three days rest.”

Centreville will host Silliman on Monday before wrapping up district play with a doubleheader at Silliman on Friday.
Adams Christian travels to Central Private on Tuesday and will finish their three game series with the Rebels with a doubleheader in Natchez on Friday.

Apaches split doubleheader with Mustangs
Courtesy of The Minden Press-Herald
The Glenbrook Apaches traveled to Monroe Thursday for a district doubleheader with the River Oaks Mustangs. Glenbrook lost the first game, 12-6, but rallied back in game two for a 21-11 win. “I thought the guys did a good job of coming back and winning the second game after losing the first one,” Glenbrook head coach Jonathan Hardy said. “It was a big game for us, because it won the series with River Oaks.” In game one, River Oaks jumped out to a 7-0 lead after two innings, as the Apaches committed five errors. The Apaches fought back to close the deficit to 8-4, but the Mustangs went on to win 12-6. Glenbrook starter Chandler Singleton went the first three innings and took the loss. Singleton gave up five hits and struck out one. Rudi Spurlock relieved Singleton and pitched the next two innings, giving up one hit. Dewy Kendrick pitched the final inning, striking out three. Preston Wise homered to lead the Glenbrook offense, and Dave Parks doubled and singled and drove in two runs. Kendrick had three hits and an RBI, and Cody Boyd had two singles. Conner Clark added a base hit.

River Oaks jumped out to a 4-0 first inning lead in game two, but the Apaches scored 21 runs in the next five innings to take the 21-11 win. Boyd got the win for the Apaches as he went the first 4 2/3 innings, giving up six hits and four walks, while striking out four. Rudi Spurlock pitched 1 1/3 innings of no-hit relief to close out the game. Rudi Spurlock shined at the plate in game two, as he went five-for-five with three RBIs. Singleton had two singles, a double and four RBIs, and Kendrick and Levi Reagan both had two base hits and a RBI. Colton Spurlock had a pair of singles and Parks had a single and three RBIs. Wise singled and drove in two runs, and Blake Branch had a RBI-double. Boyd also had a run batted in. The doubleheader split moved the Apaches record to 15-3.

Raiders lose no-hitter, game in last frame
Courtesy of The Meridian Star
Lamar senior Witt Haggard carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning Thursday at Canton Academy. Unfortunately, the Panthers came up with two hits and took advantage of a Raider error to rally for a 3-2 win. Haggard, who struck out eight and allowed just the two late hits — including the game-winning two-run single up the middle, fell to 3-3. Canton had tied the game in the sixth at 1 without a hit, getting a hit batter and an error to score. Lamar, though, regained the lead in the top of the seventh, when Dylan Rivers was hit and then advanced to second on a passed ball. Gunnar Catlett then knocked him in before Canton's rally. The Raiders, who fell to 8-6 and 2-3 in the division, visit Hillcrest Christian on Monday.

Fleming resigns as PCA head football coach

Courtesy of The Vicksburg Post
Porters Chapel Academy football coach Bill Fleming is returning to his old job. Fleming resigned on Tuesday as head football coach, but he plans to stay at the school as the school’s athletic director and as a teacher, PCA headmaster Doug Branning said on Thursday. “It was health concerns,” Branning said of the reason for Fleming’s resignation. “He came into my office and he felt that he was unable to give the energy level required of the job and stand on his feet. He didn’t feel that he could give the job the attention it needed.” Fleming led the Eagles to a 4-8 record and a first-round playoff loss to Sylva-Bay in his only season at the school. The job is already advertised on the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Web site and Branning said that he has already received a few resumés. “We’re not going to put a timetable on this,” Branning said. “We’re going to go through the applications and go from there.”

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