The New Hope baseball team had to wait a little longer than expected to play game two of the Mississippi High School Activities Association 4A semifinals against Pontotoc — 72 hours to be exact.
After rain washed out Saturday’s scheduled affair, the teams will meet Monday at 7 p.m. at Pontotoc. The Trojans lead the three-game series 1-0 after a 7-6 game one victory Thursday at New Hope.
New Hope will start junior pitcher Ryan Burt Monday. Burt is 6-1 with a 4.71 ERA in 10 appearances this season. He tossed seven innings, giving up just three runs on six hits and struck out eight in game two of the MHSAA quarterfinals against Amory April 3.
If the Trojans win, they will advance to the Class 4A finals at Trustmark Park in Pearl later this week against the winner between semifinalists West Lauderdale and Sumrall. A loss today will force a win-or-go-home third game Tuesday at New Hope.
Despite the delays, Trojans’ coach Lee Boyd said the extra rest should help both teams.
“It allowed both teams to have a complete pitching staff for the rest of the series,” he said. “It also could change the rotation for game one of the finals for whoever wins the series.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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