WEST POINT — Jonah Caskey pitched five strong innings, and the Oak Hill Academy baseball team scored in every inning Thursday en route to a 12-2 victory against West Memphis Christian to clinch their best-of-three Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class AA first-round playoff series.
Ken “Buddy” Dill hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning for the Raiders, who received contributions up and down the lineup.
Catcher Manning Huffman didn’t hit, but he played a strong game behind the plate in support of Caskey, who had a squeeze bunt in the bottom of the second to make it 2-0.
Heath Westover had an RBI single, Macon McBrayer had an RBI single, Westover had a sacrifice fly, McBrayer had an infield single for an RBI, Dylan Scott had an infield single for an RBI, and Powell Tabor had an infield single for an RBI.
Dill added a double and Collins Brown had an RBI to help force the mercy rule in the bottom of the fifth.
Oak Hill Academy, the winner of District 2, will take on Canton Academy, the winner of District 3, on Tuesday in Game 1 of a best-of-three second-round playoff series. Game 2 will be Thursday or Friday in Canton. If needed, Game 3 would follow Game 2.
n DeSoto Central 7, Starkville 6: At Southaven, the Jaguars scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to rally to win Game 1 of their best-of-three Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A second-round playoff series.
Jack Perry was 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI to lead the Yellow Jackets (16-14). Demetrius Petty had two hits, scored two runs, and had two RBIs. Carter Hunt, Carlos Kemp Jr. (RBI), and Carter Bentley also had hits.
Caleb Stewart allowed eight hits and seven runs (five earned) in six innings. He walked two and didn’t strike out a batter.
Game 2 will be at 6 tonight in Starkville.
n New Hope, Caledonia begin playoff series tonight: The New Hope and Caledonia High baseball teams will kick off MHSAA second-round playoff action tonight.
New Hope will play tonight at Neshoba Central in Game 1 of the best-of-three Class 5A series, while Caledonia will play host to Pontotoc at 7 tonight in Game 1 of their Class 4A series. Game 2 will be at 7 p.m. Saturday in Pontotoc. Game 3 would be back in Caledonia, if needed.
n Pickens Academy loses two to end season: At Carrollton, Alabama, Pickens Academy lost to Autauga Academy 10-1 and 8-3 Thursday in the second round of the Alabama Independent School Association Class AA Region 2 tournament.
In Game 1, Nyc Gann had a double and JJ Oglesby and Hugh Cameron had singles. Jeff White allowed four hits and five runs (two earned) in five innings. He walked two and struck out four.
In Game 2, Hunter Wilber, White, and Cameron had singles. Oglesby allowed six hits and seven runs (three earned) in five innings. He struck out one.
Softball
n Caledonia 7,
Cleveland 0: At Cleveland, Freshman Carlee Dale threw a one-hit shutout Thursday night to lead the Lady Confederates to the victory in Game 2 of the best-of-three MHSAA Class 4A second-round playoff series.
Caledonia, which won Game 1 11-0, will face West Lauderdale in the third round next week at times to be determined. Caledonia defeated Tishomingo County 12-1 and 12-4 in the first round.
West Lauderdale beat Corinth in three games in the first round and Pontotoc in three games in the second round.
Dale struck out seven to help Caledonia advance. Seventh-grade second baseman Ashlyn Jordan had three singles and two stolen bases. Senior shortstop Gracie McClesky was 2-for-3 with a double, triple, sacrifice, and three RBIs. Freshman third baseman Maddy Suggs was 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and three runs scored.
n Pickens Academy wins two games: At Grove Hill, Alabama, Pickens Academy (24-4) defeated Wilcox Academy 12-0 and Clarke Prep 2-0 in the AISA Class AA Region 2 tournament on Thursday.
In the first game, Shelby Lowe allowed two hits in five innings in the mercy rule victory. She walked none and struck out 13.
Kacy Noland was 2-for-4 with two home runs, MacKenzie McCool was 2-for-3 with two doubles, and Jessi Latham and Abigail Colvin were 2-for-3.
Against Clarke Prep, Noland pitched a complete-game two-hitter. She walked none and struck out eight.
Sydney Kilpatrick was 2-for-3 with two doubles, Lauren Duckworth was 2-for-3, and Latham was 1-for-3 with a double.
The Class AA State tournament will be May 5-6 at Lagoon Park in Montgomery, Alabama. Last season, Pickens Academy was the runner-up to Macon East Academy. Noland, Lowe, and Lizzie Shirley were named to the all-tournament team.
Colleges
n MSU men’s tennis beats Vanderbilt in SEC tournament: At Knoxville, Tennessee, Despite dropping the doubles point to open Thursday’s match, the No. 18 and fifth-seeded Mississippi State men’s tennis team (18-7) cruised past No. 49 and 12th-seeded Vanderbilt (12-15) 4-1 in the second round.
With the win, MSU advances to the quarterfinals, where it will face No. 19 and fourth-seeded South Carolina at 5 p.m. today. UTsports.com will provide live stats and video.
“Great win tonight for our guys,” MSU coach Matt Roberts said. “This is the type of match that feels great to get as a team, because you know you competed well and got better. Vanderbilt always battles, so this was a great win against a scrappy team.”
MSU took the first match in doubles, as the ninth-ranked duo of Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey blew past No. 47 Lachlan McPhee and Billy Rowe, 6-2.
Vanderbilt earned victories on courts two and three. The Commodores defeated Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic 6-2 to even the odds. On court two, Vanderbilt edged Mate Cutura and Vaughn Hunter 6-4.
“We looked a little sluggish in doubles play to be honest,” Roberts said. “I stepped back and let our guys sort it out after that. They showed a lot of maturity by taking the slow start and turning it into positive energy.”
The Bulldogs took all six first sets in singles to take the momentum. On court five, MSU picked up its first point thanks to Giovanni Oradini’s 6-3, 6-1 win against Panu Virtanen.
“I was very proud of Giovanni’s effort tonight,” Roberts said. “This week he’s battled through adversity and grown up a lot. He’s been able to focus on what’s in front of him instead of worrying about negativity and things he can’t control.”
Rakic edged Billy Rowe 7-5, 6-3 to give the Bulldogs their first lead. Foshey gave the Bulldogs a 3-1 advantage with a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Tate Allwardt. Cutura bet No. 107 Baker Newman, 6-2, 7-6 (4) to seal the deal.
n In other SEC tournament action, sixth-seeded Ole Miss defeated 11th-seeded Auburn 4-1.
Ole Miss will face the No. 3 seed Florida at 8 a.m. today.
Due to rain, the match was moved indoors, but the Rebels won the doubles point and controlled singles.
In the regular-season meeting, Ole Miss won 4-0, but four of the matches went three sets. This time, the Rebels won three singles matches in straight sets.
Tim Sandkaulen and Filip Kraljevic won 6-4 at No. 2 doubles. Fabian Fallert and Grey Hamilton, ranked No. 23, took control early against 19th-ranked Max Hinnisdaels and Conner Huertas at No. 1, and held for a 6-4 victory.
The Rebels maintained momentum in singles, winning five of six first sets. Auburn tied the match with a 6-1, 6-1 win on court six by Brandon Laubser against Robert Mounger.
Ole Miss used wins on courts three, four, and five to clinch the win. Fallert dominated Huertas, 6-0, 6-0 on court three. Kraljevic defeated Dante Saleh 6-4, 6-3 at five to make it 3-1.
With senior Ricardo Jorge up a set and tied 4-4 in the second at one, and Sandkaulen starting a third set at two, Hamilton defeated Edward Nguyen 6-3, 6-4 on court five.
n In other action, seventh-seeded Arkansas beat 10th-seeded LSU 4-2. Arkansas will face second-seeded Georgia at 11 a.m. today. Ninth-seeded Tennessee beat eighth-seeded Kentucky 4-2. It will take on top-seeded Texas A&M at 2 p.m. today.
Women’s Tennis
n MSU’s Lee, Rioux earn All-SEC honors: At Birmingham, Alabama, For the second year in a row, Mississippi State women’s tennis has landed two players on the All-Southeastern Conference team, the league announced Thursday.
Senior Jasmine Lee earned first-team All-SEC laurels for a school-record third-consecutive year, while Lisa Marie Rioux earned a spot on the All-SEC Freshman Team. She is the first MSU player to earn the rookie honor, which was initiated in 2008.
Thursday’s release marks only the third time in program history MSU has had two players named All-SEC in the same season. It is the fifth-consecutive season MSU has placed someone on the all-league squad.
Lee is 23-6 and 19-3 in dual match play (10-2 SEC), with all of her dual matches coming at the No. 1 position. Thirteen of Lee’s wins in 2016-17 have come against ranked foes, with the most recent in the top 10. The Kaohsiung, Taiwan, native has been a mainstay in the ITA National Rankings, re-claiming the country’s No. 8 spot this week and No. 3 in doubles, where she is 24-5 partnering with Rioux. Lee is set to earn her third-straight selection to the NCAA Singles Championship and first to the NCAA Doubles Championship when selections are announced next Wednesday.
Rioux is 16-11 in singles, 12-7 in dual match play (5-7 SEC). She has split her time between No. 2 and No. 3. Rioux has defeated two ranked opponents on the season, including a thrilling three-set to clinch MSU’s win at Ole Miss to end the regular season.
“These are big honors in a year when the Southeastern Conference dominated Division I women’s tennis,” MSU coach Daryl Greenan said. “They are also well deserved awards for Jasmine and Lisa. Jasmine has had a tremendous spring season. She has established herself as one of the top players in the SEC and in the nation. She has done an excellent job her senior year leading our team to record heights. In her first year, Lisa has established herself as an impact player on our team. She is a hard worker and competes extremely well. She is going to play a major role in the future success of our team.”
Ole Miss junior All-American Arianne Hartono earned first-team All-SEC honors.
Hartono is ranked No. 27 in the nation in singles and also ranked twice in the top 25 in doubles, including No. 21 with current partner Alexa Bortles. She has an 18-13 overall record, including 13-10 at No. 1 singles.
Alabama senior Erin Routliffe was named first-team All-SEC for the fourth straight year, while senior Danielle Spielmann earned the SEC Women’s Tennis Scholar Athlete of the Year award.
Routliffe, who is ranked No. 5 in doubles and No. 14 in singles in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, played all of her matches from the top position in singles and doubles. She leads the team for the most doubles wins in dual-match play with 13, while ranking second on the team for the most singles wins in the spring season with 13.
Vanderbilt’s Astra Sharma is the SEC Player of the Year. Georgia’s Elena Christofi and LSU’s Jade Lewis are the SEC’s co-Freshmen of the Year. Alabama’s Danielle Spielmann, Kentucky’s Aldila Sutjadi, and Vanderbilt’s Georgina Sellyn are the SEC’s Scholar-Athletes of the Year. Vanderbilt’s Geoff Macdonald is the SEC Coach of the Year.
The field of 64 for the NCAA Team Championships will be revealed at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday on NCAA.com. The individual selections will be announced Wednesday.
The NCAA First and Second Rounds will be May 12-14. The finals will be May 18-23 in Athens, Georgia. The NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships will be May 24-29 in Athens.
Men’s Basketball
n MSU, Cincinnati announce series: At Starkville, Although the MSU men’s basketball team’s 2017-18 schedule hasn’t been finalized, it has signed a home-and-home series with Cincinnati.
Due to renovations, the teams will first meet Dec. 12 at Northern Kentucky’s BB&T Arena. The Bearcats will come to Starkville on Dec. 15, 2018. Times and TV will be announced at a later date.
The Bulldogs and Bearcats have face each other four times, with MSU winning the first two and Cincy the last two.
Their last meeting came in December of 2008, with Cincinnati claiming a 75-63 win in the SEC/Big East Challenge.
MSU, which returns four starters, finished 16-16 under second-year coach Ben Howland this past season.
The Bearcats, guided by 10th-year coach Mick Cronin, posted a 30-6 ledger and lost to UCLA in the second round of the NCAA tournament after finishing second in the American Athletic Conference at 16-2.
Women’s Basketball
n Ole Miss signs Chipola College’s Johnson: At Oxford, the Ole Miss women’s basketball team gained the services of Panhandle Conference first-team All-Conference selection Barbara Johnson from Chipola College, coach Matt Insell announced Thursday. Johnson will join the Rebels for the 2017-18 season and have two years of eligibility remaining.
“She’s someone we have been following for a while now, and it’s a great feeling knowing she will be suiting up for the Rebels,” Insell said. “She is immensely talented and has the potential to be a very special player here at Ole Miss. We can’t wait to get her to Oxford and start working with her.”
Johnson, a 5-foot-8 guard from Ontario, Canada, averaged 11.8 points per game while shooting 43.7 percent last season. In 33 games, she grabbed 3.4 rebounds per game and dished out 3.2 assists per game. Johnson posted 19 games in double figures and had her best game of the season against Gulf Coast State with 34 points. She also pulled down a season-best 10 rebounds in a win over Pensacola State and had a season-best eight assists against Tallahassee Community College.
The Canadian led her team to 16 straight wins to open the season as the Lady Indians received the No. 3 seed in the National Junior College Championship and advanced to the quarterfinals. Chipola also reached the Region Eight Championship this season.
Track and Field
n Bulldogs will compete in inaugural SEC Relays: At Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the MSU track and field teams will compete in the inaugural SEC Relays at 3 p.m. today.
The sprint medleys kick off the relays portion of the meet beginning at 5:30 p.m. Today’s events will run through approximately 8:45 p.m.
The SEC Relays continue at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. The first field events will be followed by the first relay finals of the day at 12:02 p.m. after a brief opening ceremony.
MSU will send a full squad to the event, including several Bulldogs who are among the best in the nation at their respective events.
School record holder Logan Boss, who was named an All-American during the indoor campaign, will compete in the high jump. Boss owns the nation’s best mark this season in that event after leaping 1.89m a few weeks ago in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Tiffany Flynn, who was also named an All-American during the indoor season, will compete in four events today and Saturday. Flynn owns the school record in the triple jump with a mark of 13.33m. She is eighth in the nation. Flynn will take on the 100-meter hurdles today. She will compete in the 4×100 relay, triple jump, and shuttle hurdle relay Saturday.
MSU’s men’s javelin team also will compete. Nicolas Quijera, who is fifth in the country with a mark of 74.19m, and Curtis Thompson, who owns the sixth best mark in nation at 74.07m, will each compete at noon Saturday.
“This is our favorite time of year,” MSU coach Steve Dudley said. “Classes are starting to wind down, and we are just a few weeks away from SEC Championships. We are really excited to compete in this new meet, and think it is going to provide a fantastic opportunity for our team to fine tune some things before then. I look forward to seeing what our athletes are able to accomplish.”
Women’s Golf
n MSU’s Peng earns fourth-straight regional invitation: At Athens, Georgia, MSU senior Jessica Peng earned a spot Thursday in the NCAA Women’s Golf Regional on May 8-10 in Athens, Georgia.
“I am very happy, but I am also sad at the same time because I am going as an individual and not with my team,” said Peng, who finished in a tie for 25th at the SEC Championship last weekend. “I think the goal is pretty simple, just go out there and play as hard as I can and try to win. I have put in the work and now its time to put it into action.”
This marks the fourth-straight regional appearance, second as an individual, for the Taoyuan, Taiwan, native. She was one of six individuals selected for the regional.
A season ago, Peng missed the NCAA Championship by three strokes.
“We are excited to return to Athens. It was the site of our first national championship tournament in 2013,” MSU coach Ginger Brown-Lemm said. “We have wonderful memories there. With this season plagued with injury, it is a positive to have an individual move through to an NCAA Regional. I am happy for Jessica and ready to see her compete well.”
Peng recorded the best stroke average of her career this season with a 72.6 mark that is fourth in school history. She carded a 71.9 average in the spring.
Volleyball
n MSU signs Indiana standout Price: At Starkville, MSU coach David McFatrich announced the signing of Kanani Price on Thursday.
“Mississippi State has a wide variety of majors to chose from and the education level is outstanding to me,” Price said. “Athletics wise, MSU has an fantastic volleyball program. The team and the coaches know exactly what it takes to be great. Also, the campus is so pretty and it is just the right size. It’s a perfect fit.
“I picked MSU because I believe it will benefit my life in many ways not only through academics, but also athletics. State has so much to offer and when I am there I feel as if I am home.”
A defensive specialist for coach Robert Holloway at Madison-Grant High School, Price is an all-state and all-conference star that brings experience and depth to the MSU defense.
“I’m really looking forward to coaching Kanani,” McFatrich said. “She is driven and extremely competitive, two important characteristics we look for in players. She is a very good defender, communicates with her teammates very well, and has improved her passing a ton this club season. Kanani has been coached by some of the best and has developed a strong foundation, which will help her immensely as she transitions to college volleyball.”
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