As the baseball and softball seasons trek close to the playoffs, teams have been fighting to find their final footing in their respective conferences as the postseason begins to near. Caledonia got back in the win column by way of a walk off over its rival late last week, while Starkville kept its win streak alive with a nonconference triumph.
Caledonia
Just three days after Caledonia opened its Region 1-5A baseball series with New Hope with a 4-2 loss, the Cavaliers captured the sweet feeling of a revenge victory over their rival by way of a 1-0 walk-off win on Friday.
Cavalier pitcher Aaron Harris kept the Trojans (11-11, 2-4) at bay with four hits and nine strikeouts through eight innings, and New Hope’s Carson Willis proved to be problematic for the Cavs with only two hits given up and 12 strikeouts. Ian Bouchillion took over for Willis in the ninth inning and the Cavs took advantage.
Cohen Clark singled off Willis to get on base and Cooper Shelnut followed up with a bunt toward third baseman Bennon Adams, who fired a throw to first base to get the out, but missed his mark for a throwing error. Clark seized the opportunity and raced around the bases and slid home to grab his team the win.
“It was a wild one to say the least,” Caledonia head coach Chase Reeves said. “It was a pitcher’s duel for sure. Willis threw it really well for them and kept us off balance all night. Aaron threw really well for us, and both of those guys went eight innings. … It was kind of like one of those games where, ‘Who is going to make a mistake first?’”
The win moved Caledonia to 11-9 overall, 4-2 in the region for third place as it prepares for a series against region leader and reigning Class 5A champion Lafayette today and Friday. New Hope, which sits fourth in the region, takes on West Point today and Friday.
In softball, Caledonia closed out its series against New Hope with a 4-2 Friday win to grab the sweep.
New Hope (12-12, 3-3) held a 2-1 lead after the fourth inning, but the Cavs (16-2, 5-1) rallied for three runs in the seventh to steal the win. Kennedy Trotter and Addison Finch led the team with two hits each while Lee Kathryn Hardy led the Trojans with three hits. Trotter got the win in the circle, pitching all seven innings for five hits and six strikeouts. The Cavs, who sit in first in the region, play at Lafayette today while the Trojans play at West Point.
Starkville
Starkville’s baseball team grabbed its fifth win in a row on Saturday by way of a 16-5 rout of Tupelo.
The Jackets (16-8-1. 5-3) erupted for six runs in both the first and seventh innings and scored three more in the second and one in the sixth. Marcus Hendrix led the team with three of its 11 hits and Bradley Cohen smacked a grand slam. The Jackets, who are fourth in Region 2-7A, wrap up conference games this week with a series against Clinton. Game 1 is at 7 p.m. today at home and Game 2 is 7 p.m. Friday on the road.
In softball, the Jackets fell to 7-13 overall and 1-5 in conference games on Wednesday with a 12-11 loss at Madison Central.
Trailing 11-10 in the bottom of the ninth, the Jaguars plated two runs to seize the win. Sadie Foote led the team with three hits. The Jackets are back on the field today at home against Clinton and host Germantown Friday.
Starkville Academy
After falling 2-1 to Hartfield Academy in a three-game MAIS District 2-4A series, the Volunteers’ baseball team responded on Friday with an 18-6 win at Houston.
The Vols (16-8, 2-4) were up 10-5 by the third inning and added eight more by the seventh. Blake Little led the team with four hits and Brennan Templeton had three. The Vols open a series with East Rankin Academy at 6 p.m. today at home.
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