MABEN — The East Webster High School baseball team believes it can defeat Stringer two-straight games and advance in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 1A playoffs.
Beating the weather was a different story on Saturday, however.
After an estimated two inches of rain fell in approximately 10-to-15 minutes, the second game of the series was suspended in the top of the second inning. It will resume at 6 p.m. Monday.
East Webster (27-4) was looking to bounce back a day after losing the first game of the series to Stringer 4-3 in nine innings.
“We needed to play, but you try not to worry about things you can”t control,” said East Webster coach Wes Johnson “We couldn”t control the weather so all we know to do is to come back Monday and be ready to win Monday and Tuesday.”
Stringer (19-4) got the only hit in the one inning played with a one-out single by Darious Beavers, but East Webster starting pitcher Blake Love got out of trouble by striking out Derek Bynum.
In East Webster”s first, Reggie O”Briant, Love and Christopher Gordon were all retired in order.
The teams never got the second inning started when the rain began and got heavier.
After a few minutes, the weather slacked up enough for Tanner Roberson and Gordon of the Wolverines to start warming back up outside the dugout.
The rain picked up again so the two players had to retreat and find cover.
Roberson said the Wolveriens were just anxious to get back on the field.
“We wanted to get out there and take care of business, but we can”t help the rain,” Roberson said. “We just wanted to get back into the groove. We know how to hit. We want to prove a point that we”re not going to back down and win these next two games coming up.”
With the way his players went down so easily against pitcher Weston Stringer in the first, Johnson considers the timing of the rain to be a break.
“I try to look at the positive,” Johnson said. “We come out and look bad against a guy because we saw a guy throw 88 miles per hour (Friday) night. Two days off may help us.”
n Stringer 4, East Webster 3: Stringer”s Andrew Pierce threw 154 pitches and eventually outlasted East Webster in the opener.
O”Briant led off the game for the Wolverines with a home run, but they could only get five more hits off of Pierce.
Taylor Williams had an RBI double and Love drove home the other run on a fielder”s choice for East Webster. The other two hits were a double by Hayden Hendrix and a single by Roberson.
Roberson was the starting pitcher and lasted six innings, while Love pitched the final three innings.
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