COLUMBUS — For Heritage Academy, it was a night to celebrate and a night to make a statement.
For Starkville Academy, it was a night the Volunteers would rather forget.
The longstanding rivalry between the Patriots and Vols seeps into everything, especially athletics. Thursday was senior night for the Heritage baseball team, and the Patriots sent their senior class off with a bang, sweeping a doubleheader against Starkville Academy, 9-4 and 14-4, to cap off a three-game sweep this week against the Vols.
“I got with the boys and told them that we have to be focused and we have to play our game every time,” Heritage coach Brad Haines said. “We had three sweeps in a row in district and we knew we wanted to finish that off. These boys were focused and it was one they wanted to win. SA swept us the last two years, so these seniors, they wanted to go out and finish that.”
After losing four-straight games, three of them to Magnolia Heights in early April, Heritage (18-10, 11-3 in district) has gone on a tear in Midsouth Association of Independent Schools play, winning eight straight Class 5A, District 1 games to close out the regular season.
The icing on the cake came against the Vols (10-20, 3-12 in district), who have struggled to find their footing this season.
“We’re working,” Starkville Academy head coach Thomas Berkery said. “It kind of is what it is. We just have to grow up. We graduated a whole bunch of players last year and these guys have had to learn on the fly. … We’re going to take our bumps and we’re going to keep fighting.”
Despite being outscored 33-8 on the week, there were solid performances from Starkville Academy on Thursday, notably a three-hit game in the nightcap of the doubleheader from Creed Pierce.
The Vols’ best chance came after jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the day’s second game, but the Pats responded back in a massive way in the bottom of the second inning, scoring 11 runs as a cavalcade of hits kept coming.
“It was big hits in big moments for us,” Heritage senior Carson Hollis said. “Nash (McCrary) had a good hit in the second game when it was 3-1 that really got the momentum going for us. That really opened the gate up from there.”
Hollis was dealing for the Pats in Thursday’s doubleheader opener, throwing a complete game with five strikeouts, earning the win in the process.
“I just kept throwing strikes and trusting my infielders and outfielders to make plays for me,” Hollis said.
His ability to pitch deep into games has created a strong top-end of the rotation for Heritage going into the playoffs, with Jack Ketchum, who hit a homer on Thursday, expected to be the No. 1 starter.
Playoff time is nearly here for the Patriots, taking on Winston Academy in the first round of the MAIS Class 5A playoffs in Louisville at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Heritage’s mindset moving forward is a simple one: keep the ball rolling.
“It’s about pressure,” Haines said. “We want to put constant pressure on the other team, put constant pressure on the pitcher. … One through nine, everyone believes in each other.”
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