The later round of postseason baseball and softball have begun in the Golden Triangle, and of the 10 teams that began the playoffs, four remain.
Two teams from the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools – Oak Hill Academy and Columbus Christian Academy – and two teams from the Mississippi High School Activities Association – New Hope and Caledonia – will continue their quests for a state title in baseball.
This recap includes results over the past week for schools participating in the playoffs.
Prep baseball
Oak Hill Academy 9, Marshall Academy 5, MAIS Class 4A playoffs, second round
HOLLY SPRINGS — Oak Hill Academy baseball defeated Marshall Academy, 9-5, in game one of the second round of the MAIS Class 4A playoffs on Monday.
The Raiders (16-8) committed four errors in the game, but came back from a 5-2 deficit, scoring five runs in the fifth inning and seven unanswered runs to end the game.
John Ross Craven and Ty Harden each had two RBIs in the win. Harden started the game for OHA, throwing 3.2 innings, with John Leyton Lewis throwing 3.1 scoreless innings in relief to close out the win. The Raiders host game two of the series at 4 p.m. Thursday.
Briarfield Academy (La.) 4, Columbus Christian Academy 3, MAIS Class 2A playoffs, second round
LAKE PROVIDENCE, La. — Columbus Christian Academy fell in the first game of its second round playoff game to Briarfield Academy (La.), 4-3, on Monday.
The Rams (9-5) led 3-0 headed into the fifth inning but gave up four runs to the Rebels combined in the fifth and sixth innings.
CCA recorded seven hits in the loss. The series will go back to Steens as the Rams host game two at 4 p.m. Thursday.
New Hope def. Cleveland Central, 2-0, MHSAA Class 5A playoffs, first round
New Hope baseball moved on to the second round of the MHSAA Class 5A playoffs with a first round sweep of Cleveland Central.
The Trojans (22-7) took down the Wolves, 11-1, in five innings in game one of the series as Austin Minichino pitched a complete game in the win. Game two was a 10-0 New Hope shutout on Friday, recording a season-high 14 hits in the process.
New Hope now plays Ridgeland in the second round, beginning the series on the road at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Caledonia def. Senatobia, 2-0, MHSAA Class 4A playoffs, first round
Caledonia baseball moved on to the second round of the MHSAA Class 4A playoffs, sweeping Senatobia last week.
The Cavaliers (18-10) outscored the Warriors 24-4 in the four games, scoring in all but two innings over the first round series. Senior Zack Gorum gave up two runs in five innings in game one, striking out six. Freshman Reid Garrett matched him in game two, giving up two earned runs and striking out seven over five innings.
Caledonia now plays South Pontotoc in the second round, beginning the series on the road at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Winston Academy def. Heritage Academy, 2-1, MAIS Class 5A playoffs, first round
Heritage Academy lost the final two games of its best-of-three series in the first round of the MAIS Class 5A playoffs to Winston Academy after winning the series opener, 12-4 on the road.
Jack Ketchum pitched a gem for the Patriots (19-12) in game one, striking out 13 over six scoreless innings of work. He also went 3-for-5 in that game with six RBIs.
That sent the series back to Columbus, where Heritage was shut out in game two, 10-0, and fell in a close 8-7 game in the deciding game three of the series.
Simpson Academy def. Starkville Academy, 2-0, MAIS Class 5A playoffs, first round
Starkville Academy was able to hold a highly successful Simpson Academy team to just four runs in two games in the first round of the MAIS Class 5A playoffs, but the Volunteers offense went cold, getting swept by the Cougars.
Game one featured a strong pitching performance from Vols (10-22) starting pitcher Drew Williams, throwing a complete game, but a two-run seventh from Simpson turned the tide for a 2-0 win.
The series finale was a 1-1 battle until the Cougars struck for a run in the bottom of the fifth inning, taking the game 2-1, and the series, 2-0.
Lake Cormorant def. West Point, 2-1, MHSAA Class 5A playoffs, first round
West Point was eliminated from the MHSAA Class 5A playoffs on Monday night after losing game three of its best-of-three series against Lake Cormorant, 18-8.
The Green Wave (10-15-1) dropped the first game of the playoffs to the Gators on the road, 3-0, on Monday before sending the series to a winner-take-all game three with a 6-2 win at home on Friday.
Despite a high-scoring effort from West Point on Monday, pitching faltered and the Gators advanced to the second round with a 10-run win.
Prep softball
Lafayette def. West Point, 2-0, MHSAA Class 5A playoffs, second round
After sweeping Jim Hill to begin its MHSAA Class 5A playoff run, West Point softball ran into a juggernaut in Lafayette as the Green Wave were swept in the second round of the postseason.
The Commodores made a statement in game one of the series, taking down West Point (10-9), 9-1. The Green Wave played tougher in the second game despite Lafayette jumping out to a 5-0 lead after the third inning
West Point looked to make a late rally, scoring three runs in the final three innings of play, but it fell, 5-3.
Neshoba Central def. New Hope, 2-0, MHSAA Class 5A playoffs, second round
New Hope secured itself a bye to the second round of the Class 5A playoffs, but the Trojans were swept in their best-of-three series against Neshoba Central over the weekend.
Over the two games, New Hope (14-14) was outscored, 22-2, by the Rockets, including giving up nine runs in the series opener on Friday.
The Trojans managed just one hit in Friday’s loss and were shut out to end their season on Saturday, 10-0.
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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 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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