STARKVILLE – Starkville High baseball coach Travis Garner knows his team’s key to success this season.
“When A.J. (Brown) and Tyler (Barnes) are both on at the same time, that is very good for our offense,” Garner said. “If we can get both players hot and keep them that way, we can be a very good team.”
Brown and Barnes were both hot Thursday night. Their offensive success paved the way for Starkville’s 14-7 win over West Point on a dreary, windy night for baseball at Carlisle Field.
Despite the damp conditions, Starkville was simply happy to play. Including Thursday night’s makeup, the Yellow Jackets are slated to play four games in the next 48 hours.
“We need to play games,” Barnes said. “This is what baseball is all about – playing games. We haven’t been able to do that due to the weather. Fourteen runs is a good night for us. Hopefully, this will have a carry-over effect. We need to get some things going.”
Brown, one of the state’s premier wide receivers, announced via Twitter a football scholarship offer from the University of Tennessee Wednesday afternoon. That is simply the latest in a long line of Division I offers for arguably the state’s most gifted offensive player.
Thursday night, Brown also proved he could hit a baseball long way. His massive two-run shot to right center tied the game at 2-2 in the home half of the first inning.
“Looking for a spark,” Brown said. “I was just trying to get something going for us. In the last game (a 4-0 region loss to Madison Central), we couldn’t get anything going. The home run was big because it got things started,”
Barnes, who bats right behind Brown, in the three-hole for the Yellow Jackets did his damage in the game later, with two singles, a double and a pair of RBIs.
“A.J. really sets the tone for our team,” Barnett said. “The home run was really big because it gave everybody a lift. Batting in the top third of the order, our job is to produce runs. We took advantage of our opportunities.”
Starkville (4-8) erased a 3-2 deficit with four runs in the third inning and six runs in the fourth inning. The Yellow Jackets combined to score those 10 runs on only five base hits.
“We both have region games (Starkville versus Madison Central and West Point versus Saltillo) Friday night, so this was simply two teams playing without their 1-2-3 pitchers throwing,” Garner said. “When you have a game like that, you just want to see quality at-bats. You want to move runners, score runs and have good at-bats.
“We feel like we can be a dangerous club offensively but playing one game per week has really been hurting us. Now we have dry weather expected and we have four games this weekend. A big region series (against Columbus) follows next week, so really we just need to get into a rhythm. If we can develop a rhythm, we have a chance to have some success.”
While the offense was strong, the relief pitching of senior Jared Ousley was also big. Ousley entered with no outs in the fourth inning and allowed three hits over the final four frames to pick up the win.
West Point built its 2-0 lead on two base hits in the first inning. After the Brown home run tied the contest, the Green Wave broke on top 3-2 on an RBI-double by Jason Barnette.
The lead would be short-lived as a double by Brown and single by Barnes kick-started a four-run third inning. A follow-up RBI-single by Rashon Tate gave the Yellow Jackets the lead for good. A key infield error allowed two more runs to score.
An inning later, a single by Barnes and two-run single by Colby Rivers were the big blows as Starkville built a 12-4 lead.
“We had some guys really stinging the ball tonight,” Barnes said. “A.J. and I know our role and we know have to help get things started. Tonight, other guys followed the lead and we had some good hits up and down the lineup. We need that to continue. Sometimes, you may not have the best pitching or defense, so it’s important that we keep this up on offense.”
Garner knows the key for that continued success.
“We just have to be patient and start playing consistently,” Garner said. “Hopefully, this is a sign of what is to come.”
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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