STARKVILLE — Starkville Academy baseball kept an impressive 2025 season rolling with a doubleheader sweep of Pillow Academy at home on Thursday.
The Vols, now 14-2 on the year, took the first game 3-2 after trailing 2-1 late. Brantley Berkery ties the game at 2-2 with an RBI hit, and Maddox House got the win with a walk-off walk with the bases loaded. Juliah Kraker, Brody Burkley and Jack Northcutt helped to get the job done on the mound.
“You’ve got to give both teams credit,” Vols head coach Lee Berryhill said of the close wins. “We were fortunate to come out on top, 3-2, in the last inning of both games. Both teams were battling, the pitching was great, good defense on both sides, and the ball was put in play. It’s just one of those games that came down to one pitch, and we were on the winning side.”
The win came just two days after a 3-2 win at Pillow on Tuesday, but rather than setting the stage for another climactic game, the Vols rolled in the second game.
Junior pitcher Samuel Buckner tossed a one-hit shutout in a 10-0 run-rule victory to extend the Vols’ streak to seven wins. He gave “all glory to God” after the game and earned some credit for himself as well with eight strikeouts and six zeroes on the board.
“It was awesome,” Buckner said of the game. “I trust my pitches and trust my pitching coach. I think we’ve got one of the best defenses in the state and it gives me a lot of confidence.”
Vols pitching coach Wes Johnson has plenty of years of experience to share with the current staff, something apparent from the performances. The arms are hot across the bullpen and Buckner credited the positive environment for the good play of both he and his teammates.
“There’s a lot of confidence and really good team chemistry right now,” Buckner added. “We’re excited to play Mag Heights next week. We’ve got an amazing pitching coach, a lot of chemistry with him and a really good pitching staff this year.”
The Vols showed their fielding and pitching prowess in the win, frustrating the visitors with several key stops at third base and shortstop to get outs at first. They only lost the no-hitter on a difficult dribbler in the sixth inning, but by then, the game was all but won, thanks to the production at the plate.
“We got out of what we do a little bit in the first two games with Pillow, but the second game tonight, we went back to what we do,” Berryhill said. “Hitting back side with more line drives and moving runners, we have to get back to that and be more efficient on offense.”
Hayes Ferguson, Lawson Mullins, Kade Waltmon and Brennan Templeton all contributed with RBI hits on the night and Major Smith capped the performance with a three-run shot over the left field wall to end the game.
The Vols, who haven’t lost since March 3 at North Delta, continue producing big at-bats and now have a strong position in their district. They still have matchups with Magnolia Heights, Rossville and Heritage Academy to close out the regular season, and the job now is to maintain the confidence and poise that has gotten them this far.
“It’s hard to do,” Berryhill said of the team’s winning performances. “It puts us 6-0 in the division, but I told the guys it don’t mean nothing if you don’t add. It’s all about getting better and adding one game at a time.”
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