VICKSBURG — The Columbus High School baseball team was two innings from an improbable comeback Saturday before Warren Central rallied for a 9-4 victory in the deciding game of its best-of-three Class 6A playoff series.
Columbus (13-15), which lost game one 6-5 on Friday in Columbus, won game two 5-2 and led 2-1 in the fifth inning before Warren Central rallied. The Falcons cut the lead to 6-3 but had a runner called out at first base for interference that helped snuff out a potential rally.
“I am very proud of my guys,” Columbus coach Jeffrey Cook said. “Hunter Mullis had probably the guttsiest performance I have ever had. I am proud of the way my guys battled. They played unbelievable.”
Mullis needed only 68 pitches to win game two. He lasted 4 2/3 innings into game three before being lifted for Trace Lee, who was in his first action since returning from a foot injury.
Cook credited the Falcons for playing strong defense (Nick Durrah) and delivering big hits, thanks to Chris McCullough and Christian Dale.
On Friday, Dale had three hits and pitched a complete game. He walked none and struck out 10. He allowed only one earned run, a solo home run in the fifth that proved to be the difference for Warren Central.
Cook said after game one he didn’t feel his players were “satisfied” just to make the playoffs. They proved it by making the long bus ride and nearly winning the series on the road.
n New Hope 10, Jackson Lanier 5: At Jackson: Landon Boyd delivered a complete game to help the Trojans (20-7) win game one of their best-of-three Class 5A playoff series.
Boyd (7-1) struck out seven to help New Hope move one game closer to wrapping up its series. Game two will be at 4 p.m. Monday in Columbus. An if-game would follow at 7 p.m.
“We bunted a little bit, we walked two or three times, and it’s kind of hard to explain (how we got 10 runs),” New Hope coach Lee Boyd said. “They swung the bat pretty well and played a pretty good game. We played fairly well. We have a few little corrections to make, but we didn’t play too bad. We had one error that questionable.”
Boyd said the Trojans were one hit away from building the 10-run margin needed for the mercy rule, but credited Jackson Lanier for hanging tough.
Taylor Stafford had a single, Peyton Lee doubled, Dusty Dyson singled, Kameron Bryan had three hits, including a double, Zac Nagy singled, and Landon Boyd had two hits.
“We left a couple of runners at third base with one out that I felt we should have done a better job getting in,” coach Boyd said.
Boyd said senior Dillon Hawkins likely would start game two.
n Heritage 12-10; Lee Academy 0-5: At Clarksdale, The Patriots (22-6, 13-5 conference) clinched a playoff spot with their doubleheader sweep Saturday.
Washington School, which has to play five conference games this week, has to lose one game to help Heritage Academy, which holds a one-game lead and the tiebreaker against Washington, clinch a top seed.
“We swung the bats well at times today, and our pitching did fairly well, which made it easier on us,” Heritage Academy coach Bruce Branch said. “Anytime our pitching is on it makes it easier for us.”
In game one, Parker Dunaway (double) and Tyler Marchak (home run, double) had three hits, while Matt Sykes and Austin Braddock (double) had two hits
Braddock went all six innings on the mound to improve to 7-0.
In game two, Braddock and Marchak hit home runs and had two hits, while Garrett Hall had three hits and M.J. Hamrick had a double.
“We had some guys who had been struggling come up big for us,” Branch said. “Matt Sykes had a couple of big hits, and Dunaway had a big day. Anytime those guys have good days at the plate it is going to make us a better team. I feel like we’re getting our batteries re-energized and getting motivated. Maybe we can make a run at this thing.”
Camp Pittman (8-2) went four innings to get the victory. Hunter Ward pitched the final three innings to wrap it up.
Heritage Academy (22-6, 13-5 conference) will play Tuesday at Jackson Academy. The Patriots will play a doubleheader at 4 p.m. Thursday when they will recognize their seniors.
n West Point 15-16, Jackson Callaway 0-0: At Jackson, The Green Wave (15-10) like being in the playoffs they have decided to hang around for another round.
In the postseason for the first time in recent memory, West Point used a run-rule victory at home Friday and another Saturday on the road to advance to the next round to face Ridgeland at 6 p.m. Friday. Game two of the best-of-three series will be at 6 p.m. Saturday at West Point.
“I am happy for the guys, but, at the same time, I am just always trying to find something in the back of my mind to get better at to help us stay where we are,” West Point coach Buddy Wyers said.
West Point used pitching performances from Dalentez Lane on Friday and Leroy Calvert on Saturday and balanced hitting both days to move on.
On Friday, Freddie Reed had a grand slam and seven RBIs to lead the attack. Tommy Keys, Edward Cox, Dalton Davis, Bruce Barclay, Will Harrell, and Calvert all had hits in the victory.
In game two, Lederrius Taylor had a double and Cox had three hits to lead the way. Reed also had a multiple-hit day, including a double, and Davis, Calvert, and Harrell added hits.
“We have really played well the last couple of days,” Wyers said.
n Tri-County 10, Central Academy 2: At Flora, Christopher Newman had two hits, but the Vikings (8-10) had their season end in game two of the opening-round Class A playoff series.
Cody Saxton singled and doubled to help Tri-County (20-4) advance to play Winona Christian in the second round.
n East Webster 5-6-12, Hollandale Simmons 1-7-6: At Hollandale, Brennan Sparks (two doubles) and Nich Morrow each had three hits, and Conner Burton executed a key squeeze bunt that helped the Wolverines tie game three and then rally for the clinching victory in their best-of-three Class 2A playoff series.
Burton’s bunt helped East Webster (17-6) rally from a 5-1 deficit in the fifth inning after it lost the second game of the series 7-6. The bunt allowed East Webster to tie the game at 6, and it then relaxed and secured the victory.
“It was a grind,” East Webster coach Wes Johnson said. “It was a tough day. It is a tough place to play, but the guys hung in there and didn’t give up and kept on and kept on, but it sure was a grind. We found a way to win. After we squeezed in the tying two runs we kind of relaxed after that and scored some more.”
Burton had two hits to back a “pitching-by-committee” approach used by Johnson. Tyler Doss started and gave way to Jamie McKee, who threw an inning. Burton threw three innings before Ty Hendrix came on to get the save.
In the first game of the day, Simmons, which only had four hits, scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to force the third game.
Codie Silver took the loss in a complete-game effort. He walked two and struck out six.
Hayden Hendrix and Austin Seawright had two hits, including a double.
On Friday, shortstop McKee’s three-run home run in the fourth inning snapped a 1-all tie and gave the Wolverines the series-opening win in Maben.
McKee struck out in his first at-bat against starting pitcher, but he connected on the next pitch he saw, drilling it over the left-field fence for the momentum-changer East Webster, the No. 3 seed out of Class 2A, Region 2, needed.
Ty Hendrix earned the victory with a complete-game effort. He allowed seven hits and walked two while striking out five.
Austin Halford executed a squeeze bunt to score McKee with an insurance run in the sixth.
East Webster will advance to face Strayhorn, the winner of District 3, in a three-game series that will begin Friday on the road. Game two will be back in Maben at a time to be determined.
n Pickens Academy 11, South Choctaw Academy 1, five innings: At Demopolis, Bryant Fikes had three hits and earned the win Friday to help the Pirates (11-12) earn the No. 3 seed.
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