STARKVILLE — Starkville Academy sophomore Garrett Lewis calls his team “goofy, laid-back, and a little whacky.”
Those traits keep the Volunteers calm when the odds are stacked against them.
Lewis had the game-tying hit in the home half of the seventh inning as Starkville Academy rallied to a 6-5 victory against Winston Academy in a Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class AAA, District 2 matchup at Volunteer Field.
After Lewis’ hit and an intentional walk to load the bases, Cameron McKee was hit by a pitch to bring home the game-winning run.
“It’s the most laid-back team I have ever been around,” Lewis said. “We have been known to joke and play around. When we have to be focused, we are, but it’s just not that often. I think that helps us in pressure situations. Nobody overreacts and nobody panics. We just go about finding a way to get the job done.”
Starkville Academy coach Brooks Roberts has lost track of the number of walk-off wins for his team. The Volunteers have made a habit of scoring a ton of runs in the sixth and seventh innings this season.
“It’s a tribute to the senior leadership on this team,” Roberts said. “As long as we have some outs remaining, this team feels like it is going to win the game. It’s a belief. Some of that comes from football, where you have to be mentally tough for four quarters. That approach has carried over to baseball. The score is not that important to this team. The ability to have outs and a chance is what matters.”
Starkville Academy improved to 16-5 and 7-2 in district play. The victory gives the Volunteers a third-straight series win in district play. Starkville Academy can secure the district title with a combination of two more victories and/or two Heritage Academy losses.
“We knew we really couldn’t afford to lose this game if we wanted to win the district,” Lewis said. “It feels great to have won three district series in a row. That is how you win a championship. This game was critical because we didn’t play well (in a loss Tuesday). Winning the district is huge for the playoffs.
“We can’t necessarily slack off. However, we can ride some momentum into the (Canton Academy) series.”
Starkville Academy built a 4-0 lead after four innings. The Volunteers got on the board with an RBI single by Lewis. The Patriots then aided the Volunteers’ cause with four errors in three innings.
On the other end, Starkville Academy was making all the plays. Nason Heflin made a diving stab in left field that turned into a double play to save two runs. Catcher Will Holley threw out an attempted base stealer.
On the mound, Lewis was throwing strikes.
“(Lewis) was really throwing it well,” Roberts said. “He has done that all year. He is a sophomore and has a chance to be really special. The fifth inning wasn’t his fault, either. After a while, you just need a new arm on the mound, but it didn’t have anything to do with what he was doing wrong.”
Winston Academy took the lead with five runs on no hits in the fifth. The Volunteers made three of their six errors in that at-bat. Heflin didn’t fare much better in relief as he walked a batter and hit another. By the time Howell Archer finally got the Volunteers out of the inning, they trailed 5-4.
It stayed that way until the bottom of the seventh.
Taylor Arnold started things with a double off the base of the outfield wall. Holley reached on an infield error after just missing a two-run home run down the left-field line.
Lewis followed with a single to right field.
A walk and hit batter followed and the Volunteers were ready to race wildly to home plate to celebrate another walk-off win.
Lewis and Kyle Faver had multiple hits for Starkville Academy, which had six hits.
“Not sure how we keep doing it, but we do,” Lewis said. “I guess it’s because we have won a lot of other games like this. At the end, we usually find a way.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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