WEST POINT — Oak Hill Academy senior Powell Tabor spent a little extra time at practice Monday working on his bunting.
“We knew (Canton Academy) had some slow players on the corners,” Tabor said. “That is something we noticed last year. I knew if I could get some bunts down, it would help my team win.”
Tabor excelled in the bunting game, getting three down — one for a sacrifice and reaching base on the other two. Each proved critical as Oak Hill Academy defeated Canton Academy 5-4 in Game 1 of their best-of-three second-round Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class AA playoff series.
The series will resume at 4 p.m. Thursday in Canton. If necessary, Game 3 would follow approximately 30 minutes after the first game.
“Powell is our best bunter,” Oak Hill Academy coach Mitch Bohon said. “When you are trying to win a championship, you need your best players doing their best things. We knew we had a speed advantage, so it was important to put the ball in play.”
In the first inning, Reiley Tate began things for Oak Hill Academy (17-14) by reaching on a two-base error. Tabor moved Tate to third base on a sacrifice bunt that stopped right in front of the plate. A sacrifice fly by Buddy Dill cut the Canton Academy (14-11) lead in half at 2-1.
In the third, back-to-back hits by Jonah Caskey and Tate set the table for Tabor, who laid down another bunt. The pitcher hurriedly overthrew first base, which allowed the tying run to score and ignited a four-run uprising.
A groundball out by Dill gave the Raiders the lead for good. An RBI single to the left-center field gap by Collins Brown scored another run. Canton Academy’s second error of the inning allowed an insurance to score.
Tabor capped his night by beating out a drag bunt for an infield hit in the fifth.
“Canton Academy has a great hitting team,” Oak Hill Academy junior pitcher Dylan Scott said. “We knew that from last year because we had a hard time keeping them down. It felt good to see the four runs (in the third inning). That just allowed me to settle down and pitch.”
Scott surrendered a two-run home run by Canton Academy’s Paco Bello in the fifth. Tate started the sixth and retired the final six batters for the save
“Our pitchers really competed,” Bohon said. “I am really proud of the effort we got on the mound. Sometimes things won’t go perfectly but you just have to keep competing.”
While Oak Hill Academy made four errors, the Raiders also turned in some brilliant defensive plays. Tate started two double plays in the infield, and Caskey had a critical catch in the outfield. Scott and Tate recorded pickoffs at second base to remove the leadoff man of the inning.
“They like to lean,” Scott said. “We knew we could get a pickoff because they are bad about that. They lean and some of their players are slow, so we knew we could get that move. It worked out for us twice.
“As far as the errors go, we are really a close team. Nobody gets down. We all have each other’s backs. If there is an error or a baserunning mistake or any of that, the next guy just has to pick their teammate up.”
Oak Hill Academy needs one win to reach the semifinals of the Class AA playoffs. Last season, Oak Hill Academy beat Canton Academy at home before falling twice at Canton Academy.
“Hopefully, we learned a lot from last year,” Tabor said. “We came out and were really flat in both games. I think we eased up after winning the first game, and you can’t do that in the playoffs. This is a good win. We just have to go over there and play hard and do what we are capable of doing.”
While postseason success has pushed the Raiders over .500, Bohon is quick to point out his team is 9-1 against Class AA opposition.
“We have played really well the last month of the season,” Bohon said. “I think the kids know the formula for success. You have to do a little bit of everything and you have to do each part well.”
n In Class AAA, Columbia Academy beat Starkville Academy 8-3 in Game 1 of their best-of-three second-round series.
The Cougars (27-9) scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 6-3 lead.
Game 2 will be at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in Starkville. If necessary, Game 3 would follow approximately 30 minutes after the first game.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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