STARKVILLE — Even after pitching a complete game on the mound, Starkville High School senior pitcher Nick Brooks’ best role was a cheerleader for the highlight worthy defensive plays made behind him.
In a dominating 5-1 opening game victory over Center Hill in the first round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A playoff series, Jordon Allgood and Victor Johnson both left their feet to make the most important plays of the night.
“By gosh I’m 59 years old and can still get excited about stuff like that,” Starkville coach Danny Carlisle said. “Those were game changers no doubt about it.”
With the tying run at the plate in the fourth inning, Algood leaped up and made a leaping catch to rob a hit that would’ve closed the 4-1 gap. Instead Brooks (7-3) was chest bumping his infielder as they both headed to the dugout.
“Our guys stayed behind me the whole game and what you saw there is just like practice where we push each other to make the plays,” Brooks said. “My fielders showed up big for me tonight no doubt about it.”
Brooks would finish just giving up four hits and had seven strikeouts over seven innings of work including striking out the side in the final frame of the game.
With runners on first and third and only one out, a shallow fly ball turned into an out thanks to a layout catch by Starkville outfielder Victor Johnson. Johnson got a solid jump on the dying fly ball allowing him to make the catch and still recover in time to hold the runner at third base.
“That play got everybody hyped up and was an extreme momentum builder for us,” SHS senior first baseman Nathan Pugh said. “That gave everybody some energy and was exactly what we needed at that moment.”
In what his coach called ‘a vintage Nathan Pugh type performance’ after the game, the SHS senior co-captain was 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs and a run scored but more importantly will take the baseball on the mound as the left-hander tries to end the series tonight at Center Hill with first pitch being 6 p.m.
“I can not wait to get a chance to go out there and do what I do,” Pugh said.
“Having a big, tall left-hander that has experience on the mound tomorrow — you bet that makes me feel good as a coach,” Carlisle said. “We’re in good shape now.”
The SHS offense was able to use the wildness of Center Hill starting pitcher Jacob Marsh to their advantage. The Mustangs 5-foot-9 junior right-hander allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings of work that included four walks and hitting four different batters in his appearance.
The administration at SHS officially named the field Carlisle Field for the 29-year head coach before the game started as this will be the final season of Carlislie’s coaching career.
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