STARKVILLE — Taylor Arnold waited a year for redemption.
Last season, Arnold started on the mound for the Starkville Academy baseball team and didn’t make it out of the first inning against Columbia Academy in Game 2 of the playoff series.
On Tuesday, Arnold took the mound at Volunteer Field to start Starkville Academy’s postseason. This time, he was on the mound when the game ended, too.
Arnold pitched a complete-game four-hitter and struck out 12 strikeouts as Starkville Academy beat Indianola Academy 3-1 in Game 1 of the best-of-three second-round series in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class AAA playoffs.
“I owed this one to my team,” said Arnold, who is a junior. “I waited a long time for this game. I felt like I let my team down a season ago. It was tough not even being able to last an inning. Losing that game ended our season.
“This game was about making up for that performance.”
The series will shift to Indianola for Game 2, which will be at 4 p.m. Thursday. Game 3 will follow, if needed, approximately 30 minutes after the first game.
If Arnold owed his teammates anything, consider the debt paid in full.
“Taylor was special,” Starkville Academy junior center fielder Howell Archer said. “When he is pitching like that, it is fun to be in the field. After that home run, he was dominant. We needed a start like that because it gives us all the momentum in the series.”
After Indianola Academy’s Wesley Lester hit the second pitch for a home run down the right-field line, Arnold became virtually untouchable.
Starkville Academy coach Brooks Roberts said the game was “personal” for Arnold.
“This game meant the world to him because of last season,” Arnold said. “He wanted the start and he wanted to give us a chance. Lester got a good swing and muscled that one out of the park. After that, three hits and 12 strikeouts the rest of the way. That’s determination.”
Indianola Academy starter Josh Hill held up his end of the deal. Hill went the distance and struck out 10, but he surrendered all three runs in the fifth.
“It was the third time we (faced Hill),” Roberts said. “The first time, he totally dominated us with 13 strikeouts. The second time — as Kyle Faver put it best — we made him come to us. We were patient and hit our pitches instead of settling for what he wanted to throw, so having some experience (against Hill) helped. We had a plan and felt better at the plate.
“You have to give him credit, too. Both pitchers were outstanding. We had the good fortune of one good inning.”
Eight of Hill’s strikeouts came in the last three innings.
In the fifth, Arnold started things with a leadoff double.
“It was getting late. We had to get something going,” Arnold said. “We have been a comeback team this season. We just needed to get something started.”
Garrett Lewis then drew only the second walk by either pitcher. Archer followed with a two-run single to the outfield gap. Cameron McKee added a hit for the third hits in the frame from the bottom four spots in the order.
Will Miller reached on a dropped third strike and Nason Heflin connected for a ground ball out to bring home the final run.
After that, Arnold worked around a one-out hit by Will Davis in the sixth and a leadoff single by Logan White in the seventh.
After the hit by White, Arnold mowed down the heart of the Colonels’ order with two strikeouts and a ground ball out.
“Ninety-two pitches. Think about that,” Roberts said. “Not only did Taylor pitch well, he saved our bullpen. If you win the first game in a playoff series, we did it the way you want to in every phase.”
Starkville Academy (23-7) will take to the road fresh off its first playoff win in four seasons. Many of these players played in the November state championship football game, also won by Starkville. Starkville Academy also ended the Indianola Academy season in boys soccer.
“We have a habit of knocking them out in several other sports this year,” Arnold said. “We need to go Thursday and do that again.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.