The Starkville Academy baseball team emerged with two closely contested wins over Heritage Academy in Tuesday’s district doubleheader in Columbus.
The Volunteers (18-5) picked up a 5-4, eight-inning win in the nightcap to sweep the twin bill from the Patriots (21-8).
Porter Skelton drove in four runs for Starkville Academy in Game 2. He also pitched four innings, striking out five.
Rhett Ketchum led Heritage Academy with two hits in the contest. He had five strikeouts in 4.1 innings, and Caleb Hall also fanned five in 3.2 innings.
The Vols won Tuesday’s first game 2-1 with a go-ahead run in the seventh inning.
Harris McReynolds had two hits to lead the Vols, and he and Cooper McNeel each had RBIs.
John Paul Buckner pitched a complete game with six strikeouts.
Cole Ketchum had two hits for Heritage Academy and struck out six in 6.1 innings. Wesley Miller drove in the lone run for the Pats.
The two schools will meet again for a single game Thursday in Starkville.
Other scores
Prep Softball
New Hope 20, Columbus 0, three innings
New Hope handled Columbus High 20-0 on Tuesday in Columbus.
Annie Woolbright had two RBIs to lead the Trojans, who scored 14 runs in the first inning. Lailah Henderson led New Hope with two hits.
Adi Dueitt pitched a perfect game for the Trojans.
New Hope will host Hamilton on Friday.
Columbus will play Thursday at Grenada.
Mooreville 9, Caledonia 8
CALEDONIA — Mooreville scored seven runs in the top of the seventh to beat Caledonia 9-8 in Tuesday’s game in Caledonia.
Ashlyn Jordan pitched a complete game for the Cavaliers, striking out nine. Jada Glasgow and Aimee George each had two hits, Jordan and Kaydence Sudduth doubled, and Allison Pennington, Brooke Knoop and Madalyn Dvorak each had a single.
Caledonia will play Thursday at Mooreville.
Grenada 12, West Point 0
GRENADA — West Point was shut out 12-0 in four innings Tuesday at Grenada.
The Green Wave couldn’t manage a hit against the Chargers’ Kira Finkley.
Grenada scored five runs in the first inning and six in the third.
West Point will host J.Z. George on Thursday.
Prep Baseball
West Point 14, Columbus 4, six innings
WEST POINT — A 10-run fifth inning led West Point to a 14-4, six-inning home win over Columbus High School on Tuesday.
Noah Essary and John Austin Ricks led the Green Wave with two RBIs apiece, while Elijah Young and Jordan Fitzpatrick each had two hits.
Young pitched four innings with 12 strikeouts for West Point, and Essary pitched two innings for the Green Wave.
Grenada 6, New Hope 2
Caledonia 4, Itawamba Agricultural 3
CALEDONIA — Caledonia beat Itawamba Agricultural 4-3 on a walk-off walk in Tuesday’s home game.
The Cavaliers scratched across the winning run when JC Dodson drew a free pass after heading into the seventh tied 3-3 with the Indians. Josh Pitts had a clutch two-out single earlier in the frame.
Caledonia scored its first two runs on a two-out double in the third inning. The Cavs got another on a fourth-inning groundout.
Loren Cox pitched 5.1 innings for Caledonia, and Jacob Humbers earned the win in relief.
Caledonia will play Itawamba on Friday in Fulton.
South Panola 5, Starkville 3
BATESVILLE — Starkville High School lost 5-3 in Tuesday’s road game at South Panola.
The Tigers scored the go-ahead run in the fifth inning and added another in the sixth.
Ethan Pulliam struck out seven in five innings for the Yellow Jackets.
Starkville will host South Panola at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Columbus Christian Academy 16, Hebron Christian 4, four innings
PHEBA — Columbus Christian Academy beat Hebron Christian 16-4 in four innings Tuesday in Pheba.
The Rams scored 13 runs in the first inning en route to the big win.
Jackson Howard had a home run in the first inning and a double in the second. He finished with three RBIs.
Caleb Farlow had seven strikeouts in relief and had a two-run triple in the first inning.
Daniel Pate singled in the first inning, doubled in the fourth and finished with two RBIs.
The Rams will host Kemper Academy on Thursday.
Oak Hill Academy 7, Winona Christian 1
WEST POINT — Oak Hill Academy stayed hot with a 7-1 home win over Winona Christian on Tuesday, remaining unbeaten in district play.
Gunter Reed allowed just one run in 5.1 innings for the Raiders, striking out six. John Ross Craven closed out the game.
Manning Huffman, who led Oak Hill with three hits, had an RBI single in the fifth inning, and Cameron Dill had one in the first.
Both players tied for the team lead with two RBIs.
Oak Hill will host Carroll Academy on Friday.
Hamilton 8, West Lowndes 0
Prep Tennis
Heritage Academy 6, Starkville Academy 3, Monday
The Heritage Academy tennis team beat Starkville Academy 6-3 in Monday’s match at Magnolia Tennis Club in Columbus.
The Patriots’ Owen Riley beat the Volunteers’ Tyler Highfield in boys No. 1 singles 6-1, 6-0, and Heritage Academy’s Blake Ward beat Starkville Academy’s Jackson Walters 6-0, 6-0 in boys No. 2 singles.
Drew Knittig and Joshua Tedford won 6-0, 6-0 for the Pats in boys No. 1 doubles. Graham Buxton and Braden Oswalt won 6-2, 6-0 in boys No. 2 doubles.
Kendall Kelly and Elizabeth Nichols won 6-4, 6-0 for Heritage Academy in girls No. 1 doubles, and Mallory Ward and Ellie Dawson won 6-0, 6-3 for the Pats in girls No. 2 doubles.
Starkville Academy’s Lily Holliday beat Heritage Academy’s Anne Clark Shepherd 6-0, 6-0 in girls No. 1 singles. The Vols’ Grace Delp beat the Pats’ Shannon McElhinny 6-0, 6-0 in girls No. 2 singles.
Heritage Academy’s Sarah Curtis and William Laws lost 6-3, 6-1 in mixed doubles.
The Patriots will host Leake Academy on Thursday.
Starkville def. Germantown, district championship
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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