Cole Ketchum never even heard the words.

In a critical top of the fourth inning of the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader in Columbus, Heritage Academy baseball coach Chris Ball yelled out to his junior pitcher from the third-base dugout, instructing Ketchum multiple times to run a pickoff play to keep Winston Academy’s three baserunners honest.

But Ketchum was quiet on the mound, staring straight in at the Winston batter 60 feet away. He didn’t even hear his coach’s guidance.

“He’s so in the zone and locked in up there,” Ball said. “Nothing behind him matters.”

With no one out and Heritage Academy holding onto the 2-0 lead the Patriots had taken just a half-inning prior, Ketchum struck out Cam Sanders swinging. He froze Dalton Powell on a 3-2 fastball. Then he fanned Jennings Fulton on three pitches to end the threat.

“That’s huge,” said junior Rhett Ketchum, Cole’s cousin and teammate. “There’s nobody else you would want on the mound in that situation.”

Cole Ketchum proved his cousin right, pitching three more scoreless innings to finish a complete-game, three-hit shutout with 15 strikeouts in Heritage Academy’s 2-0 win. Then Rhett went on to strike out 10 Winston batters in four innings as the Patriots (12-1) won Game 2, 8-3.

Ball said his pitching staff carried Heritage Academy on a day where the team’s hitting struggled. The Ketchum cousins combined with Sam Hannon to strike out 30 hitters in 14 innings, but the Patriots had just two hits — fewer than their opponent’s total — in Game 1 before posting seven in Game 2.

“Our pitchers dominated; we did not swing the bat very well at all,” Ball said.

Still, Heritage Academy earned two big home wins in its first district games of the season. In the opening contest, the entirety of the Pats’ offense consisted of a run coming home on a balk and another one batter later on a sacrifice fly.

With the way Cole Ketchum was pitching, it was enough.

“He can dominate hitting both sides of the plate, and he can throw all three of his pitches for a strike,” Ball said of the Ole Miss commit. “It’s tough when you can throw a slider or a changeup and then pump 91 miles per hour past somebody.”

Ketchum passed his biggest test when a single, walk and error loaded the bases in the fourth and he struck out Sanders, Powell and Fulton to end the inning. He stranded one runner in each of the final three innings as the Patriots’ two-run lead held.

Game 2 began much the same as the Patriots backed a Ketchum — Rhett, this time — with two runs that largely stemmed from Winston miscues. Catcher Jett Joiner threw the ball into left field on a steal attempt in the bottom of the second, letting his counterpart Carson Hollis not only take third but scamper home. Heritage Academy’s Drew Huskison punched an RBI single into right field later in the inning.

But the nightcap diverged from the opener in the bottom of the fourth when the hosts pushed across five runs to blow the game open. Rhett Ketchum helped himself with a two-run single to right that proved the big blow, and Reed Brewer added an RBI base hit.

Sporting a seven-run lead, Heritage Academy pulled Ketchum for Hannon to open the fifth. The senior allowed a three-run home run to Mississippi State commit Aiden Fancher with one out in the seventh, but it hardly made a dent as Hannon finished out the 8-3 Heritage Academy win.

It was the 11th straight victory for a Patriots team that Ball said has yet to play its best.

“The bad thing is we haven’t put a good, good game together where we’ve pitched it real well and hit it real well,” the coach said. “That said, there’s a lot of upside left. I feel very confident in our team right now, and I like where we are.”

Heritage Academy is in the midst of six games in six days after beating Nanih Waiya 5-3 on Monday. The Patriots will be on the road the rest of the week with a chance to sweep Winston on Thursday in Louisville before facing Buckhorn (Alabama) and Booneville at Northeast Mississippi Community College on Friday and Saturday.

And Thursday’s game will be even more of a family affair: Cole Ketchum’s younger brother, freshman Jack Ketchum, will take the mound first for Heritage Academy.

“The whole Ketchum family will be the starting pitchers against Winston,” Ball noted.

Already assured a series win, the Patriots will hope to build on their momentum after taking both games Tuesday.

“Anytime you get a varsity doubleheader — and especially in conference — and you win both of them that day, it puts some pressure on the other team,” Ball said. “Now we’re going for the sweep, and that’s what we want to go for.”

Other scores

Prep Softball

Caledonia 7, New Hope 3

NEW HOPE — Caledonia scored all seven runs in the final four innings to beat rival New Hope 7-3 on the road Tuesday.

Lauren Brown and Allison Pennington each had three of the Cavaliers’ 11 hits, and Brooke Knoop had two.

Zoe Goodman led New Hope with three RBIs, while Brown and Aimee George each had two with Caledonia.

Ashlyn Jordan struck out nine in a complete game for the Cavs.

The two teams will play again Thursday at Caledonia.

Eupora 13, Starkville 7

EUPORA — Eupora scored in every inning to beat Starkville 13-7 on Tuesday in Eupora.

Brianne Locke led Starkville with four hits and drove in two runs. Kendell Thompson walked three times and also had two RBIs.

Locke struck out four in six innings in the circle.

Starkville will host South Panola on March 23.

Prep Baseball

Starkville 9, New Hope 6

NEW HOPE — Starkville had three runs in the first, fifth and sixth innings to post a 9-6 road win Tuesday at New Hope.

Jeremiah Jethroe had two home runs in the losing effort for the Trojans, and Gates Gerhart had a homer in the bottom of the seventh.

New Hope will host Houston on Thursday.

Starkville will play Friday at West Point.

Caledonia 21, West Point 10

WEST POINT — Caledonia and West Point turned on the offense in Tuesday’s game in West Point.

The Cavaliers (7-1) had three innings of six runs or more in a 21-10 victory: six in the first, six in the fourth and eight in the seventh.

West Point had four runs in the second and two in the fourth.

Josh Pitts had a triple and two singles for Caledonia. Gavin Holloman had three singles for the Cavs.

Pitts earned the win by pitching four innings, and Holloman finished up the contest.

Caledonia will play Friday at East Webster.

Starkville Academy 12, Lamar School 3

Starkville Academy 10, Lamar School 3

MERIDIAN — Starkville Academy swept Tuesday’s road doubleheader with Lamar School in Meridian.

Will McReynolds went 3 for 3 with six RBIs in Game 2, a 10-3 Volunteers victory. Harris McReynolds had two hits, and Ayden Alsobrooks earned the win on the mound with 10 strikeouts in 5.2 innings.

Alsobrooks, Micah McGee and Porter Skelton each had three RBIs in the first game, a 12-3 win for Starkville Academy.

John Paul Buckner struck out nine in 5.2 innings.

West Lowndes 5, Noxapater 4

West Lowndes pitched a combined no-hitter in Tuesday’s 5-4 win over Noxapater in Columbus.

Melvin Crawford pitched 5.1 innings, and Royquavious Williams pitched 1.2 innings while getting the win.

Fred Rice Jr. had the go-ahead RBI double in the sixth inning. Williams had an RBI triple, and Jeremiah Harris had a single and drove in two runs.

West Lowndes will play Thursday at Columbus.

East Webster 12, Oak Hill Academy 7

WEST POINT — A seven-run sixth inning without a single hit cost Oak Hill Academy in Tuesday’s home opener against East Webster.

The Raiders walked nine Wolverines in the inning as East Webster took home a 12-7 win.

Brian Buchanan allowed two hits and two runs and struck out three batters in 4.2 innings pitched for Oak Hill.

The Raiders’ Garrett Edwards was 3 for 3 with a double, two singles and three RBIs as well as being hit by a pitch. Cameron Dill went 2 for 3 with a walk and drove in two runs.

Oak Hill will host Choctaw County at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Columbus Christian Academy 15, Golden Triangle HomeSchool 7

STEENS — Columbus Christian Academy beat the Golden Triangle HomeSchool team 15-7 on Tuesday to improve to 2-2 on the season.

Caleb Farlow went 4 for 4 with a triple, drove in four runs and had three stolen bases to lead the Rams.

Drake Shaw was 3 for 5 with a double and two RBIs.

Lahndon Townley went 2 for 4 with three steals and a run batted in.

Ben Campbell struck out six in 4.2 innings. Farlow struck out three in 2.1 innings.

The Rams will host Hebron Christian on March 22.

Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.