It was a grand old night at the ballpark Thursday night.
The Starkville Academy and Heritage Academy baseball team took turns driving grand slams into the rain in a doubleheader at Trip Carson Field.
MJ Hamrick had a grand slam in the third inning of game one to help erase a four-run deficit before Hunter Ward”s double in the sixth provided the winning margin for Heritage Academy (16-3).
Hamrick had another grand slam in a seven-run bottom of the seventh that nearly helped the Patriots rally. But Ryan Mann”s grand slam in the sixth and Ian Tharp”s RBI double in the seventh gave Starkville Academy (8-9, 4-5 division) just enough to salvage a split of the games, which lasted nearly six hours.
Starkville Academy coach Neal Henry was pleased with his team”s ability to bounce back after an 11-1 loss to Heritage Academy on Tuesday in Starkville. The Volunteers were aggressive from the start, building a 4-0 lead in game one and a 6-0 lead after one-half inning in game two.
“We just tried to stress every run counts, especially in the second game in every game we play,” Henry said. “I think we made a drastic improvement from Tuesday and we came out here and swung the bats.”
Mistakes in game one cost Starkville Academy four unearned runs that proved to be the difference. Those miscues helped eclipse strong efforts at the plate by Kyle Henson, who had three hits, including a double, and an RBI and Mann, who had two hits and two RBI.
The production continued in game two, as Henson, who reached base five times, Mann, Colby Runnels, and Tharp each had two hits. The Volunteers capitalized on an error to post a six spot in the top of the first, but gave five back in the bottom half of the inning.
Another error and an RBI single by Cole Phelps in the fourth helped Starkville extend its lead before the Volunteers scored two more runs in the fifth without a hit.
Mann”s slam followed a hit by pitch, a walk, and a fielder”s choice and gave Starkville Academy all of the momentum.
Heritage Academy answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning on a RBI single by Tyler Farnham and a bases-loaded walk by James Clark. Until that inning, the Patriots had managed only three hits against starting pitcher Drew Pellum.
“After that first inning he kind of calmed down a little bit and put up four zeroes and pitched a great game after that first inning,” Henry said.
Tharp”s double in the seventh appeared to be only window dressing before the inevitable outcome until Heritage Academy rallied thanks to a double by Garrett Hall, a double by Matt Sykes, a single by Farnham, an infield single by Parker Dunaway, a single by Austin Braddock, a walk by Clark, and Hamrick”s home run that cut it to 15-14.
“He has been a big, big addition to our program,” Branch said of Hamrick, a sophomore transfer from New Hope High School. “I can”t say enough about the kid. He is a competitor. He is going to be fun to watch the next couple of years.”
With two still out, Clark Atkins reached on an error and Tyler Marchak walked, but Hall was called out for interference as he raced toward third base on Hall”s slow roller to third base.
“Heritage is a great ballclub,” Henry said. “You have to take their hats off to them. They fight to the end.”
Heritage Academy coach Bruce Branch was pleased with his team”s uprising in the seventh, but he also wished it could have come much earlier so his team could have worked a sweep of the division series.
“We score five in the first (in game two) and I am feeling real good,” Branch said. “Then we go four innings scoreless at the plate, and that is just us not doing a good job competing at the plate. If we”re going to be a championship type ballclub, we have to do a lot better job competing.”
Ward pitched three-plus innings in relief of Braddock in game one to get the victory. He scattered only four hits before giving way to Hamrick, who struck out the final batter for the save.
“Hunter Ward came in a did a fabulous job,” Branch said. “That is what we have been looking for in him. He has been out of baseball for two years, and he has made a heck of a comeback. Hopefully he will be able to fill that role and come in and throw a lot of strikes for us.”
Branch hopes the Patriots learn from the rally that came up just short and remain focused and disciplined at the plate so they will be able to produce.
“I am sure they are second-guessing themselves right now,” Branch said. “If you looked at us in the field you could tell we weren”t real focused. I have been preaching to them since day one that we have to stay focused throughout this whole season. If we lose focus, we don”t do a good job at the plate and we take it to the field and we boot it around.
“We have been saying this is a new Heritage attitude here. I don”t want anyone referring to the old Heritage, or that is the Heritage we”re used to. We don”t want that mind-set. If we do that, we”re going to go right back to where we were. I think we will build on it.”
n Carroll Academy 11-12, Oak Hill Academy 1-10: At Carrollton, Chance Livingston pitched well in the second game, but his 10-strikeout effort wasn”t enough to prevent the Raiders (5-10, 0-6 district) from losing their doubleheader.
Livingston allowed seven hits and walked five, but he allowed only four earned run in the nightcap. He also had a hit, while Clay Henley had three hits, Conner Baird, Curt Huffman (double), and Adam Tumey had two hits, and Kody Riley and Tres Turner also had hits.
In game one, Riley took the loss. Turner and Tumey had hits.
Oak Hill Academy will play at 4:30 p.m. today at Victory Christian.
n Central Academy 9, Calhoun Academy 5: At Calhoun City, Cole Newman pitched a complete game to help the Vikings (5-5, 4-1 district) win their fifth game in a row.
Newman struck out eight and allowed seven hits.
Ferris McGuire had twohits, including a home run, Matt Taylor had a home run, Drew Pearson had two triples, Will Disbrow had a triple, Britt Reynolds had two hits, including a double, Redman Butler had three hits, Chris Newman had two hits, and Rowdy Rogdon had a single.
Central Academy will play host to Calvalry Christian at 6 tonight.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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