Former Hamilton High School baseball standout Dylan Earnest has added another honor to his array of accomplishments.
In June, Earnest was chosen to the Louisville Slugger High School All-American team.
Earnest, a left-handed pitcher/outfielder, led the Lions to the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 2A title series, where they lost in two games to Richton. He is playing with the Pontotoc Red Sox in the American Legion Mid-South Regional in Grand Prairie, Texas. He will attend Itawamba Community College when he returns.
Earnest was one of 29 pitchers selected for the team. He threw two perfect games and two one-hitters in leading the Lions in victories, ERA, strikeouts, and complete games.
Sumrall High”s Jackson Posey, who has signed with Southern Miss, and Luke Lowery, who has given a verbal commitment to play for Southern Miss, and Jackson Prep”s Kaleb Barlow also were selected.
Players were nominated by their coaches or were recommended by other coaches after the players earned state and regional honors.
This is the 14th year Louisville Slugger has sponsored the team, which is selected by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.
Soccer
Heritage Academy wins opener
Tori Fields scored five goals Friday to lead the Heritage Academy girls soccer team to a 14-0 victory against Marshall Academy in its season opener.
Katie Whitman added three goals and an assist for the Lady Patriots.
Lexi Swaim, Missy Swaim, Rachel, Sydney Ellis, Breland Starr, and Madison Clark also had goals. Anna LeBrun, Starr, Ellis, and Stephanie Cruse also had assists.
Cruse and Abby Whitman shared the shutout in goal.
Heritage Academy will play its home opener at 4 p.m. Wednesday against Lee Academy.
Softball
Starkville Academy, Central post wins
STARKVILLE — Starkville Academy and Central Academy posted the only victories Saturday by local teams at the Starkville Academy tournament at the Mississippi State Recreation Complex.
Oak Hill and Heritage Academy lost both of their games in the tournament.
Starkville Academy opened the day with a 6-4 victory against Central Academy, but it lost its next two games to Leake Academy (2-1) and to Pillow Academy and was ousted from the double-elimination event.
“It has been a long week. We played seven games in the last nine days and I think it is a good start for us,” Starkville Academy coach Jessica Dickens said. “I am pretty pleased with where we are and where we are heading, and I am proud of the girls. They never quit and played hard despite fatigue. They”re getting mentally tough.”
Dickens also praised the pitching performances of junior Julianne Jackson. She said Jackson will get two days off before taking the circle at 4 p.m. Tuesday when the team plays host to Washington School for its home opener.
“This last week has prepared us for what were going to see in conference. We have seen some good pitching,” Dickens said.
Starkville Academy beat Kemper Academy 3-1 on Thursday and lost to Leake Academy 1-0 on Friday.
For Central Academy, Kellie Hailey had two doubles, Blake Rigdon had a single and a double, and Kendall Taylor singled against Starkville Academy.
The Lady Vikings rebounded in their next game for a 13-4 victory against Heritage Academy. Hailey had a single and a triple, and Rigdon, Taylor, Sadie Lindsey, and Katie Cumberland singled.
Winston Academy eliminated Central Academy with an 8-4 victory.
Rigdon had two singles and Megan Banks had a single.
“My little girls are hanging in there,” Central Academy coach Sammy Lindsey. “Everything is promising and looking good. We just have to turn those close losses into wins.”
Paige Buchanan pitched all three games for the Lady Vikings.
On Thursday, Central Academy lost to Winston Academy 13-10.
Kendall Taylor had a triple, and Hailey, Rigdon, and Kayla Brown singled.
Central Academy plays host to Oak Hill Academy on Tuesday.
Oak Hill Academy lost to Winston Academy and to Pillow Academy in its two games.
n Hebron Christian 6, Marshall Academy 1: At Pheba, every starter had at least one hit and Hebron Christian had 13 hits as a team en route to beating Marshall Academy on Thursday.
The leading hitters for the Lady Eagles were Tori Nichols with two doubles and a single, Dakota Hillhouse with two doubles, Cathryn Moore wth two singles, and Hillary Arnold, Beverly Blake, Jessica Fleming, Alaina Hill, Chloe Tapley and Magen Tapley with a single each.
Hebron Christian struck first in the third inning when Hill singled home Magen Tapley.
The Lady Eagles scored four runs in the fourth inning to take a 5-1 lead. Nichols led off with a double and scored on a double by Hillhouse. Arnold and Chloe Tapley also scored runs in the inning.
Hebron scored its final run in the fifth when Blake singled home Hillhouse.
Chloe Tapley was the winning pitcher, allowing one hit and striking out seven batters in four innings. Fleming pitched the final two innings and allowed two hits while striking out one batter.
In junior varsity action, Rebecca Faulkner went 2 for 3 at the plate and scored two runs and Brooke Griffin went 1 for 1 and scored three runs but Hebron lost 9-7 in extra innings.
Volleyball
Caledonia finishes in third place
JACKSON — The Caledonia High School volleyball team earned a third-place finish Saturday at the two-day Set It Off Challenge.
After winning their first two matches in pool play Friday, the Lady Confederates beat Corinth 25-9, 25-16 in their third match. The team lost to St. Andrews 25-21 and 25-19 in its other match Saturday.
Macy Hicks had seven kills, Cara Hopper had five aces, Elisha Collins had eight kills and one ace, Blaire Ruth had seven kills and one block, Sarah Freeman had one kill, one ace, and one assist, Ashley Dodson had three kills, Meagen Pratt had three kills, and Marlana Dolan had three kills and six assists.
“We played as a team against Corinth,” Caledonia coach Samantha Brooks said. “Everybody was on their game. It was hands down our best game yet.”
Brooks said the team slipped in its next match against St. Andrews and lacked the same intensity and desire. She said the team will return to practice Monday to focus on mental and physical conditioning.
The event featured 32 teams at four sites, and included 20 of the 40 state playoff qualifiers from last year.
Caledonia will play host to Amory on Tuesday.
Aberdeen, Starkville, and West Lowndes also participated in the tournament.
Aberdeen went 2-2, beating Yazoo City 25-20
Against Yazoo City, Mattie Scarbrough (one block) and Annalisha Harris both had five kills, while Jamisha Washington had two aces, and Brianna Hodges had five assists.
Against St. Joseph”s, Scarbrough and Harris (three blocks) had four kills and Hodges had three aces and two assists.
Against Ridgeland, Scarbrough had 11 kills and Harris added eight. Each player had a block. Darnita Fluker had three aces, and Hodges had 12 assists.
Against Ackerman, Scarbrough had seven kills, Ayriel Heard had two aces, and Hodges had six assists.
“They played pretty good,” Aberdeen coach Marquis Burnett said. “We”re not 100 percent. We lost seven of eight varsity players from last year, and I think this was a good experience for them. Going .500 at the tournament gives them something to look forward to.”
Aberdeen plays at Ackerman on Tuesday and plays host to Columbus on Thursday.
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