STARKVILLE — When West Point High School senior Bobby Woodard lacks confidence, all he has to do is look in the dugout and find his head coach.
“Bobby is our senior leader,” West Point High baseball coach Blake Hutchison said. “He is our go-to guy. I have complete confidence in him getting job done. When he is on the mound, you feel good. You feel like he will find a way.”
Woodard found that way Tuesday night at Danny Carlisle Field, as West Point beat Starkville 5-3.
Starkville loaded the bases in the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth, Woodard entered in relief to get the final out. The Yellow Jackets (0-4) loaded the bases again in the sixth, but Woodard retired the No. 3-4-5 hitters with two strikeouts and a popout.
“I have to admit I was nervous,” Woodard said. “I just gave the situation to God. He had me on the mound. Four-one-three is all that kept going through my mind. My teammates believe in me. I know my coaches believe in me. They tell me all the time I am going to come through in the clutch spots. That gives me more confidence when I don’t have enough on my own.”
The four-one-three is a reference to Philippians 4:13, which says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
After missing the postseason with back-to-back last places finishes in region play, this is a new-look West Point team. Hutchison’s third squad has depth and experience. It also will rely on talented newcomers like freshman Gray Berry, who had three hits to highlight a seven-hit attack.
“Our No. 1 goal is making the playoffs,” Berry said. “We feel like this is the team that can turn West Point baseball back around. The main thing is togetherness. This is a close team. If we lose some games, I don’t think the guys will get down this year. I don’t think they will be blaming one another. I just think we have a really good attitude. A lot of us have played together for several summers now. It is going to carry over.”
After beating Eupora in the season opener, West Point dropped a 7-0 decision to Cleveland on Saturday. Hutchison said the squad faced some early adversity and didn’t respond. The ability to respond Tuesday night was pleasing.
“This was a game where every at-bat mattered,” Hutchison said. “Our pitchers really had to pitch. The defense had to make plays. I was so pleased with the growth from Saturday. We learned some things from that loss and put them to good use in this game.”
West Point touched Starkville ace Dee Petty for four runs in the top half of the first. Berry got things going with a one-out double. After a walk, BR Watson followed with an RBI single. Petty then walked three in a row before Seth Edwards brought home two runs with a single.
“The first inning was huge,” Berry said. “It calmed everybody down and really got us focused into the game. Beating Starkville is big for our program. We needed to get off to a good start. It was easier on the pitchers to be pitching from ahead.”
Berry was lifted in the fifth after allowing a single and walk with his team leading 4-2. Ryan Crowley followed and was touched for an RBI single by Carter Hunter. Crowley struck out two before tweaking his throwing arm on a routine throw when backing up first base. Woodard followed and got the critical strikeout to snuff that threat.
“All three pitchers pitched really well,” Hutchison said. “That is what has hurt us the last couple of years has been pitching depth. If we didn’t have a particular pitcher pitch well, we were in trouble. Tonight, we were fortunate in that all three got us some really good outs. They did it in critical situations.”
West Point scored an insurance run on a single by Berry in the sixth.
Starkville stranded 12 runners, including seven in scoring position. Carter Bentley had two of the Jackets’ seven hits. Starkville struck out 11 times and also hit into a double play.
“This was a big win for our team,” Woodard said. “Everybody should have a little more confidence for what we can do after seeing a win like this. It’s so early in the season. We just need to build on this. We have a chance to have a successful season.”
West Point opened its season with a victory against Eupora on Friday and a loss to Cleveland on Saturday at the Choctaw County Classic.
Against Eupora, Ike Taylor and Roe Ketchum had a hit, scored a run, and had an RBI, Brandon Lairy, Seth Edwards, and Josh Moore scored runs, Berry was 3-for-5with two runs scored, a double, and an RBI, BR Watson had two RBIs, Ryan Crowley had a double, Davion Goree had a double and two RBIs, Jake Chambless scored a run and had an RBI, and Woodard had a hit and scored a run.
Berry struck out three in three innings. Crowley allowed one run (zero earned) in one inning. He walked one and struck out four. Woodard allowed three hits and two runs (one earned) in three innings. He walked two and struck out three.
Against Cleveland, Berry and Chambless had hits. Roe Ketchum allowed one hit in four innings. He walked two and struck out six. Rhett Ketchum struck out two. Goree allowed five hits and three runs (one earned) in one inning. He walked three. Chambless allowed two hits and four runs (zero earned) in 1 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out four.
Starkville opened its season with a 10-2 loss to Gulfport on Friday and a 9-2 loss to Biloxi on Saturday.
Against Gulfport, Blake Miller and Demetric Clark scored runs, Tyler Stovall, Wesley Graves, and Petty had hits, Austin Campbell had a hit and an RBI, and Carlos Kemp Jr. had two hits and an RBI.
Campbell allowed three hits and three runs in 3 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out three. Petty allowed one hit and five runs (one earned) in 1 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out one. Carter Hunt allowed two hits and two runs in an inning. He walked one and struck out one.
Statistics from the game against Biloxi weren’t available.
n Pickens Academy 5, Southern Academy 4: At Greensboro, Alabama, Hugh Cameron had a single, a double, and two RBIs Tuesday to lead the Pirates (2-0).
Zak Hamilton allowed two runs in three innings to get the victory. He walked one and struck out one.
Will Jones had a single for the Pirates. Kris Cooper and Hunter Wilber added singles, while Nyc Gann and JJ Scott had a single and an RBI. Jeff White was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Pickens Academy will play at 6 p.m. Thursday at Patrician Academy.
n New Hope 4, Winfield (Ala.) 1: At Columbus, Payton Springfield allowed three hits and one run (zero earned) in six innings to lead the Trojans (3-0). Springfield walked three and struck out four.
Bryce Braddock had a hit and an RBI, Tyler Murphy had a hit and scored two runs, Thomas Stevens had a hit and scored a run, Xavier Harrison had a hit, Carson Forrester had an RBI, Koby Harcrow had a hit and an RBI, and Rye McGlothin had a hit.
Parker Lane struck out one in one inning for the Trojans.
New Hope opened the season with a 13-0 victory against South Lamar (Ala.) on Friday and an 11-1 victory against Phil Campbell (Ala.) on Saturday at the Caledonia Classic.
Against South Lamar, Bryce Braddock was 3-for-3 with two runs scored, a double, and three RBIs, Tyler Murphy was 2-for-3 with a run scored and a double, TJ Stephens, Parker Lane, Xavier Harrison, and Cade Odom scored runs, Thomas Stevens was 2-for-2 with a double and three RBIs, Carson Forrester had a hit, scored a run, and had an RBI, Koby Harcrow had a double and scored two runs, and Payton Springfield had a home run and two RBIs.
Peyton Buckner allowed one hit in 3 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out nine. Matt Mordecai struck out one in 1 1/3 innings.
Against Phil Campbell, Braddock had an RBI, Murphy was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, Lane was 2-for-3 with a run scored, a home run, and three RBIs, Stevens had a hit, scored a run, and had two RBIs, Harrison had a double, scored two runs, and had two RBIs, Forrester was 2-for-2, Harcrow scored two runs, Odom had a hit, scored two runs, and had an RBI, and Springfield had a double and an RBI.
Forrester allowed three hits and a run in 3 2/3 innings. He walked four and struck out four. Springfield walked on in 1 1/3 innings.
n Caledonia improved to 2-1 on Tuesday with a 10-0 victory against Sulligent.
Will Burton, Cade Stacy, and Hunter McMurphey combined on a three-hitter. They struck out 12.
Burton had a hit, Beau Bates had a hit, scored a run, and had two RBIs, Spencer Unruh, Tyler McAdams, Stacy, Caide Woods, and Sam Cooper scored runs, Seth Brown had a hit, scored a run, and had an RBI, Houston Mims had a hit and an RBI, Triston Gardner scored a run and had two RBIs, McMurphey had an RBI, Sawyer Brown had a hit, scored two runs, and had an RBI.
Caledonia opened the season with a 6-0 victory against South Lamar on Friday and a 9-3 loss to Gordo on Saturday at the Caledonia Classic.
Against South Lamar, Bates scored a run and had two RBIs, Unruh had a hit and an RBI, McAdams scored a run, Stacy was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, Woods had a double and scored a run, Mims had a hit and two RBIs, and Gardner, Brown, and Cooper scored runs.
Logan Suggs allowed two hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out 11. Zion Ford allowed one hit in one inning. He walked two and struck out two. Westlee Honeycutt walked one and struck out one in one inning.
Against Gordo, seven errors hurt Caledonia’s cause.
Ford had a hit and scored a run, Bates had a hit and drove in two runs, McAdams scored a run, Woods had a hit and scored a run, and Mims was 1-for-3.
Unruh allowed five hits and six runs (two earned) in three innings. He walked one and struck out four. Will Burton allowed three hits and a run in two innings. He walked one and struck out two. Hunter McMurphey allowed two hits and two runs (zero earned) in two innings. He struck out one.
Oak Hill Academy lost to Winston Academy 12-2 on Friday.
Heath Westover, Macon McBrayer, Powell Tabor (run), and Jonah Caskey had hits. Reiley Tate scored a run, and Dylan Scott had an RBI.
Scott allowed six hits and nine runs (six earned) in four innings. He walked two and struck out four. Ken “Buddy” Dill allowed two hits and three runs (one earned). He walked one.
Starkville Academy lost to East Webster 11-1 on Friday.
Carter Roach (run) and Kyle Faver (RBI) had two hits.
Noah Heflin allowed three hits and a run in 2 2/3 of an inning. Will Miller allowed five hits and seven runs (five earned) in one inning. He walked two and struck out one. Garrett Lewis allowed three hits and three runs (two earned) in 2/3 of an inning. He walked one and struck out one.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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