STARKVILLE — If Starkville’s 2-1 victory against Lewisburg in Game 1 Thursday night proved anything, offense was going to be a premium in this best-of-three series in the second round of the MHSAA Class 6A playoffs.
The Yellow Jackets grinded out another low-scoring affair, using timely hitting and stellar pitching to fend off a late rally from the Patriots in Game 2 Friday night to seal a 3-2 victory in Starkville, clinching the series. Starkville will play either powerhouse Madison Central or South Panola in the next round of the playoffs next week.
“I knew going to the mound, I had a lead so I didn’t have too much stress,” sophomore pitcher Ethan Pulliam said after the game. “I knew I had to get ahead of every batter and throw strikes first pitch.”
Pulliam pitched a stellar game against Lewisburg, throwing 6.1 innings, allowing two runs and striking out 10 in the process. He even helped himself in the bottom of the first with an RBI single to put Starkville ahead 1-0. Not long after, junior Hayes Davis plated another run with a single to put the Jackets up 2-0. Now with the lead, Pulliam started to roll a bit, overcoming a leadoff walk by striking out the side in the top of the second. Starkville added a run in the bottom of the third on a line out, when junior outfielder Caden Tate tagged up and turned the burners on to score ahead of the tag to make it 3-0 Starkville.
Lewisburg got a run back in the top of the fourth after a shallow pop fly dropped for a hit with the bases loaded to make it 3-1 Starkville. Pulliam minimized the damage, however, as he escaped the jam by striking out his seventh batter of the night to strand three runners and preserve the Yellow Jackets’ lead.
“I always want to pump the strike zone, you don’t want to overthrow, you want to pitch to contact. I always know my defense has to work, they’re behind me for a reason,” Pulliam said.
Pulliam continued to roll through the Patriots’ lineup, getting a double play to end the fifth, and a 1-2-3 inning to end the sixth. Lewisburg didn’t go quietly, however, as it doubled to begin the seventh inning, and that runner later scored after a two-base-error by Starkville. That ended an impressive night for Pulliam, as senior Jackson Owen was charged with getting the final two outs with two runners on and one out.
“When we took batting practice today, I told Jackson not to throw it around too much, just because I wanted to have him ready just in case,” Starkville coach Luke Adkins said.
Owen came on to pitch after catching the previous 6.1 innings, and did so in style, striking out the first batter looking and then striking out the last batter swinging to end the game.
“Anything can happen in a Game 3, so it was a plus to get it done at our place,” Adkins said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the way our guys came out the gate.”
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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