STARKVILLE — It was 10:23 p.m. when Yellow Jacket captain Lucian Walker stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the 10th inning in a district game against Tupelo. The bases were loaded with one out, and Walker wasted no time, swinging at the first pitch and chopping the ball to the left of the mound.
Tupelo pitcher Tanner Brannigan scrambled to pick up the ball but couldn’t beat Starkville runner Kaden Wilson on his dart to the plate, securing a 7-6 win for the Jackets.
“Just get it done,” Walker said of his mindset. “It’s a 20-foot walk-off, but a hit is a hit.”
Walker’s walk-off capped a clutch end to the game for the team captain. He threw 3.2 innings after entering in the seventh, guiding the team through three extra innings to get the win.
“He’s just a captain,” Jackets head coach Mark Monaghan said of Walker. “Ever since he’s gotten to this program, it’s been about whatever he can do to help the team win. It’s great to have your guy, your captain, rise to the moment in a big spot.”
“I told myself just throw it and let my defense work,” Walker said. “I wasn’t trying to strike everyone out, I know I have guys playing good defense behind me, and I wanted the ball in that moment. I wanted to get it done, stay in the game, and I wanted to be at the plate there.”
The Jackets quickly fell behind, trailing 4-1 after the first inning before Brody Wright took over on the mound to steady the ship in the second. The sophomore was a calming presence who frustrated the Golden Wave, and while he wasn’t always offering velocity with his pitching arsenal, he gave his defense good chances to make plays. Though the Golden Wave added another run, Wright followed up with four zeroes on the board before being pulled in the seventh inning.
“He’s a 10th-grader who works hard and has a really high ceiling,” Monaghan said of Wright. “We know he is going to be a great arm, and it’s not easy as an underclassman to pitch in 7A, but he has pieced together outings and gained confidence each time. Tonight he let us know that we can give him the ball at any time and trust him.”
“Brody gave us a lot of energy,” Walker added. “Going out there, it’s tough putting up zeros against a really good team when you’re down four runs. He settled in and was a huge part of our win.”
The Jackets shored up the defense but still had to chip away. Helping with that effort was Tyson Knox, who started on the mound. Clearly frustrated with the runs given up early, Knox produced calm at-bats to walk twice and drive a double and a single in four plate appearances. Jonas Coleman and Murphy Gordon had a pair of hits as well, with Gordon and Zay Spencer both driving in runs to put the Jackets back in the game.
“That was a huge team win,” Monaghan said. “Some of the plays that were made defensively, Brody Wright’s ability to come in and throw up zeroes like that, and then hand it to our captain, Lucian. I thought our eighth grader Murphy Gordon made some great plays and swung the bat well. It’s just a team win and I’m super proud of them.”
The victory takes Starkville to 13-8 on the season and puts them at 4-3 in a tight Class 7A Region 2. After being swept by Madison Central and splitting with Germantown, the Jackets are now in control of third with the potential to take the series against second-placed Tupelo on Friday.
You can help your community
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 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
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 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
