STARKVILLE — Carlos Kemp Jr. and the Starkville High School baseball team made quick work of Murrah in a 24-0 victory Monday in Game 3 of the first round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A playoffs.
After starting pitcher Austin Campbell set down the Mustangs in order in the first inning, the Yellow Jackets sent 22 batters. Nineteen runs later, Starkville recorded its first out. Starkville tacked on two more runs to take a 21-0 lead after the first.
In the second Campbell once again set down the Mustangs in order. The Yellow Jackets added three more runs to put the game away. Campbell returned to the mound and completed his no-hitter. The only runner to reach came on an error.
Starkville coach Travis Garner said he didn’t know how his team was going to respond after an
upset loss in Game 2, but he was proud of the way his squad practiced Sunday and the way it performed Monday.
“Regardless of the opponent, we got our hearts ripped out the other night,” Garner said. “We were four outs away from advancing and we lost. To see them respond like this is huge. It says a lot about them.”
Winners of 11 of its last 13, Starkville is hitting its stride at the right moment. Kemp, who was 4-for-4 with five RBIs, said the Yellow Jackets are rolling and it will be hard to stop them.
“We are playing how we want to play,” Kemp said. “Everybody knows their role and they are embracing their role. We are playing like a team and coming together for everybody and playing for the man next to us.”
Knowing their role was important to bounce back. Campbell, who also threw a shutout in Game 1, said his performance was for teammate Dee Petty. Campbell said the team learned about the death of Petty’s aunt’s death earlier that afternoon.
“This game was dedicated to Dee Petty. My performance was dedicated to him,” Campbell said. “We grew up playing ball together and he is another brother to me. I just want to say that was for him. This game was great. We bounced back after a tough loss, and we wanted to make a statement going into the next round and I think we did that”
As the Yellow Jackets’ ace, Campbell said it was great to get two wins in the first round. He said he is confident going to play DeSoto Central and that Starkville is going to need to keep the momentum it had in the first inning against Murrah.
“This was a great momentum boost,” Campbell said. “DeSoto is a team I faced last year, so I’m pretty confident going into there. I just sacrifice myself for the team. I do whatever they need me to do because we are all brothers, so my performance goes out to them.”
In the first, Carter Bentley walked and Petty and Jack Perry singled to load the bases. Kemp singled to make it 1-0. After Petty scored on a wild pitch, Josh Arnett walked to load the bases. Conner Reinike walked and then Kemp scored on wild pitch. During the wild pitch, the catcher threw the ball away and the other two runners scored to make it 6-0.
Carter Hunt walked, Campbell was hit by a pitch, and Griffen Little bunted for an infield single to load the bases. The Mustangs then walked in two runs and hit a batter to make it 9-0.
Kemp’s double cleared the bases to make it 12-0. Arnett singled and Reinike was hit by a pitch to load the bases again. Hunt then delivered a two-run single and Campbell’s infield single loaded the bases again.
Little reached on an error that made the score 15-0 with no outs. Bentley smashed an RBI double and Petty had an RBI single to make it 18-0. Perry then hit an RBI ground out to make it 19-0 for the Yellow Jackets’ first out.
Kemp singled and Arnett reached on an error by the shortstop to make it 21-0. The inning ended after a strikeout and a ground out.
In the second, a hit by pitch, two walks, and an error gave the Yellow Jackets a 22-0 lead and the bases loaded. Kemp’s RBI single and Arnett’s fielder’s choice made it 24-0.
Garner hopes Starkville can muster as much offense against DeSoto Central. He said it is going to be tough because the Region 1 winner returns most of its players from last season, but he believes Starkville can win the series.
“It will be fun. DeSoto is really really good,” Garner said. “We had a battle with them last year in the playoffs. The thing about that is they got a lot of those players back and a lot of mine are playing college baseball. We are the underdogs going up there but we seem to play well as the underdog role so we will see how it shakes loose.”
n In other action Monday night, New Hope defeated Lake Cormorant 8-3 in Game 2 of its best-of-three Class 5A playoff series.
The win pushed New Hope (17-11) into the second round against Neshoba Central. The teams will meet Friday in Game 1 in Philadelphia.
Parker Lane had a double, Tyler Murphy had a two-run single, Drew Pounders had an RBI double, and Thomas Stevens had an RBI double and another double. Bryce Braddock recorded the final out in the fifth to work out of a bases-loaded jam with a 3-1 lead. Carson Forrester started the game and pitched into the fifth.
n Marcus Farmer had an RBI double, and Zack Tucker had a double, but the West Lowndes High baseball team lost to Salem 7-3 in Game 3 of their Class 1A playoff series.
Melvin Crawford had two hits and pitched four innings for the Panthers.
The loss ends West Lowndes’ season at 9-10.
n In other Class 1A action, Myrtle beat Hamilton 13-8 in Game 3 of their series in Hamilton.
Boys Golf
n New Hope finishes second: At Oxford, the New Hope High boys golf team finished second Monday at the Class 5A, Region 1 tournament at the Ole Miss Golf Club.
Jake Crosson tied with Oxford’s CJ Easley to earn medalist honors with 69s.
Oxford won the title with a 293, while New Hope shot a 327.
Logan Pannell (84), Dylan Cash (85), Dawson Vasser (89), and Luke Yarbrough (93) also played for the Trojans.
The top four teams qualified for the state tournament May 7-9 at Canton Country Club.
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