A baseball showdown begins today in Starkville.
Heritage Academy, which knocked off the defending state champions in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class AAA last week, takes on Starkville Academy in the AAA North championship series.
The opening game of the best-of-three series is at 4 p.m. today in Starkville.
Game 2 is set for 5 p.m. Tuesday at Heritage Academy in Columbus. A winner-take-all third game would be played Tuesday night at Heritage if the loser of Game 1 wins Game 2 to tie the series.
The winner of the series will face Wayne Academy or Central Private School for the state title.
Starkville swept in the North finals with two consecutive victories over Bayou Academy, finishing the job last Wednesday with a 16-6 win.
Heritage won two straight against Indianola, defeating the 2018 state champion by a combined 8-1 score. Mississippi State commit Blayze Berry pitched a two-hit shutout against Indianola and is the likely starter for the Patriots today.
Freshman pitcher Cole Ketchum was the starter in the clinching win over Indianola.
Paul Bowker is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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