By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
HATTIESBURG – When the news came out last June that Larry Watkins had accepted the job as head baseball coach at Sacred Heart High School, there was a fair amount of bewilderment across the Pine Belt.
After all, Watkins had supposedly called it a career in 2018 after 42 seasons at Petal, 38 as head coach.
But he’s back, and he’s got the Crusader program off to a splendid start in 2020, with an 8-0 record after Wednesday’s 4-0 victory over St. Patrick in a game that was postponed from Tuesday.
“I missed it,” said Watkins. “People say, ‘how do you miss it after that long.’ But it’s been 42 years to do it, and this was a good opportunity. They called me in June and asked me if I’d be interested. It’s been good, and the kids have responded.”
St. Patrick (4-8) was the toughest test for the Crusaders so far this season. The Fighting Irish’s losing record is a bit deceiving, as they have played a demanding schedule against larger schools on the Gulf Coast.
But Sacred Heart was up to the task, scratching out four runs despite just three hits, and getting a shutdown performance on the mound from junior right-hander Ryan Gerald.
“This win is huge for us, because this is the first time we’ve had to really battle to get the win,” said sophomore Luke Wiest, who drove in the first run of the game with a single in the bottom of the first inning. “It showed that we were able to battle the whole game.”
The Crusaders scored after senior Luke Hicks reached on an error, took third on a botched pickoff play and scored on Wiest’s opposite-field single to left-center field.
“Every time I come up to the plate with men on base, my mentality is to drive them in,” said Wiest. “I just got a pitch I could drive and went with it.”
The Crusaders got plenty of help from St. Patrick. Fighting Irish starter Connor Holliman issued five walks and had three wild pitches, and the Fighting Irish committed four errors. Holliman (3-1) was also called for a balk in the second inning that allowed a run to score.
“I was proud of our guys,” said Watkins. “They handled the pressure, and I told them it doesn’t matter how you score runs, as long as you score runs.”
Sacred Heart added two more runs in the fourth after junior John McKee drew a leadoff walk. He stole second – one of four in the game for the Crusaders – and two wild pitches got him home to make it 3-0.
With two out, senior Ewan Robinson reached on an infield single, Hicks beat out a single to shortstop, with Robinson taking third after the high throw got away from the first baseman, and a passed ball allowed Robinson to score.
That was more than enough help for Gerald, who pitched six innings, allowing just one hit. He struck out seven and walked four.
“I was trying to go out and throw strikes, get people out and let my defense work behind me,” said Gerald. “My fastball was good, and I struck a few people out with my curveball, so that was working for me tonight.”
Gerald worked out of trouble in the fifth after a leadoff walk and an error in the outfield put runners at second and third with none out. He got two strikeouts, then a walk loaded the bases, but he got a flyball to right field to get out of the inning unscathed.
“Ryan threw a great game for us,” said Watkins. “He battled in that fifth inning, but he had some good early innings, so that helped, as far as pitch count.”
Robinson came in to pitch the seventh and worked around a hit batter with two out, inducing a popup to nail down the win.
Crusader players say Watkins has brought a winning mentality to a team that had drifted in the two seasons after the death in January, 2018 of longtime coach Larry Mixon, who built the program from scratch beginning in 2010.
“He has a great work ethic,” said Wiest. “He keeps us working the entire game. We’re always ready for anything. Every game now, we come in expecting to win.”
Although the talent at Sacred Heart isn’t quite up to level of a Class 6A power such as Petal, Watkins said he was pleased with the skills of the players he inherited.
“I think we’ve got some pretty good players,” said Watkins. “I told the Dugout Club earlier in the year that I thought we had the potential to have a good team, and these kids have worked hard.”
The Crusaders and Fighting Irish will play again on Friday at Biloxi, then Sacred Heart has a game scheduled for Saturday at North Forrest before opening Region 8-1A play next Tuesday at Resurrection.
Prep Baseball Linescore
Wednesday at Larry Mixon Field
Sacred Heart 4, St. Patrick 0
St. Pat 000 000 0 – 0 1 4
SH 110 200 x – 4 3 3
ST. PATRICK (4-8): Vincent Pisciotta 1B. LP – Connor Holliman (3-1). Also pitching – Garrett Brochard.
SACRED HEART (8-0): Ewan Robinson 1B; Luke Hicks 1B; Luke Wiest 1B. WP – Ryan Gerald (3-0), 7 Ks. Also pitching – Ewan Robinson.
