By DAVID MILLER
Special to The Dispatch
Peyton Buckner was disgruntled and felt “unwanted.”
Hard to imagine the top returning pitcher from New Hope’s 2015 team would struggle with confidence, but as easy as it was to fall off the horse, it was even simpler to get back on it.
Buckner met with coach Lee Boyd roughly two weeks ago to clear the air, and the results over the last two weeks have helped power New Hope to back-to-back series wins in the first two rounds of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A playoffs, including a 1-0 win over Lewisburg Saturday afternoon.
Buckner pitched 6 2/3 innings and gave up just six hits and three walks. He struck out six. Buckner has won his first two games of the postseason and has surrendered just one earned run in 12 2/3 innings.
“I was lazy at what I was doing and wasn’t working like I was supposed to,” Buckner said. “I just really had a confidence problem. But Coach Boyd and I talked about it, and I’m back.”
Buckner’s ability to get ahead of Lewisburg hitters with his breaking ball opened up opportunities to throw a changeup and fastball, and when Lewisburg hitters were able to put the ball in play, it often resulted in ground balls.
“Everything (worked),” Buckner said.
Boyd was unsure of how Buckner, a right-hander, would fare against Lewisburg’s predominately left-handed lineup, which feature five lefties in the first five spots in the lineup. But the Patriots’ top five hitters managed just two of the team’s six hits off Buckner.
“Lewisburg swings the bat really well, and I thought today would be an 8-5 game,” Boyd said. “We had someone ready to go in the first inning if he got in trouble – not necessarily in the pen – but we weren’t gonna let him hang around and get beat up.
“[Lewisburg] had a bunch of lefties in the lineup, and with Peyton’s breaking ball, I thought it was gonna find barrels at the end of those guys.”
Buckner ran into a jam in each of the last two innings, which was partly due to fatigue, Boyd said. Buckner gave up an 0-2, bloop-single to Jake Davison and surrendered another looper to Tanner Booth to put runners on the corners with two outs. Buckner, however, induced one of 11 ground-outs on the day to end in the inning.
“It’s very unusual to see that many lefties in a row,” Buckner said. “It makes my approach harder, and it’s hard on the coaches, too. Everything (he pitches) breaks away, so it’s a challenge to figure out where to spot up.
“We teach to keep the ball low, and with high school hitters – they’re all swole – if you leave it up they’re just gonna knock it off the wall.”
Buckner gave up a lead-off walk to start the seventh, and after a pair of ground-outs he looked to have sealed the game with another until Shay Boyd hesitated the throw to first. The runner was initially called out, and the Trojans took the field in celebration. But the umpires discussed the play and reversed the call, putting runners on the corners.
Then, Lee Boyd opted to bring in Carson Forrester to get the last out.
“I thought the game was over, but they made the right call,” Boyd said. “It was tough for us because their three-hole guy – 6-foot-4 and 220 – one of their better hitters, in that situation, Buck deserved to finish it. But he’d had three at-bats against him and we’d thrown the kitchen sink at him. I knew if he hangs one, this guy can hit it on the softball field over there. I felt like Carson was the best option there – a bit more velocity and tighter on the curve ball.”
Davis Lott gave the Trojans a scare, ripping a curve ball that initially looked like it’d drop in front of Tyler Jones. But Jones got a great jump on the ball and made the catch.
“It’s not that I was mad (to leave the game) … that was my out,” Buckner said. “I had confidence in Carson, though.”
Alex Adair produced the lone run in the game via an RBI single in the second inning. Aidan Fletcher led the Trojans at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a double and a run.
The Trojans will face Grenada in the next round.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 40 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.