By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
PEARL – Its gaudy record notwithstanding, Purvis has had to scrap this season to win a lot of games in pressure situations.
It doesn’t get more pressure-packed than the opening game of a state championship series, and once again, the Tornadoes answered the call, picking themselves up after letting a 1-0 lead slip away with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Senior Damon Putnam smashed a leadoff double in the eighth, kicking off a decisive two-run rally as Purvis edged West Lauderdale 3-1 in Game 1 of the MHSAA Class 4A Baseball State Championship Series at Trustmark Park.
The Tornadoes (31-6) can wrap up their fourth state title with a victory in Game 2, scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday. The Knights must win to force a Game 3 either Saturday or Sunday.
“They hit some balls right at us, and we escaped some innings where they could have put runs on the board,” said Purvis coach Tony Farlow. “I feel fortunate, but we’ve battled adversity all year like this. So I feel good about our team.”
Putnam also drove in the Tornadoes’ first run of the game, coming after two were out in the top of the third inning.
“A big part of my role on this team this year is to be a leader,” said Putnam, one of just two seniors on the Purvis roster.
“We only have two seniors, and we don’t have a big talkative group between us, so I try to be the one to talk things up and pick up the team when we need it.”
Sophomore Jo Jo Parker singled to left-centerfield, then twin brother Jacob Parker reached on an error in the infield. Putnam drove the next pitch into leftfield and Jo Jo Parker motored around third to score.
“We had some key hits at some key times,” said Farlow. “Their guy kept us at bay for a big part of the game, and we popped a lot of balls up.
“But, offensively, that’s why we’re here. We’ve done it with the bats all season, and we’ll have to do it with the bats again on Friday to win it.”
Both teams had to work for hits in a splendid pitcher’s duel between junior right-handers Eli Lowe for Purvis and Ian Herrington for the Knights.
Lowe worked around trouble throughout the game, but made big pitches in clutch moments.
West Lauderdale mounted a threat right off the bat, in the bottom of the first, getting two runners on with a one-out walk and an error for catcher’s interference.
Sophomore Ethan Walker atoned for that mistake on the very next pitch, firing a strike to third base to easily catch the runner trying to steal from second.
“My defense was amazing today,” said Lowe. “I don’t think we’ve had a better game all year defensively. Every time it was hit to them, my guys made the plays, no matter what. I can’t thank them enough.”
In the bottom of the third, junior Cannon Graham ripped a triple into the rightfield corner with one out, but Lowe got a popup behind second base and a fly ball to right for the final out.
The Knights also got a runner to third in the fifth after a leadoff walk, a sacrifice and a balk. But once again the Tornadoes made plays behind Lowe, a sharp liner to third and another flyball to right.
“I just went out there to do my thing, what I’ve been doing all year,” said Lowe. “I just tried to throw strikes, let them put the ball in play and let my defense do the work.
“I was mostly just slinging fastballs. I wasn’t thinking; I just threw it. The curveball was working at times, although I got a blister on my finger and that kind of messed me up a little bit. I just had to find my rhythm again.”
Lowe pitched into the seventh with a 1-0 lead. He allowed four hits, struck out three and walked three. He was lifted in favor of Jo Jo Parker after giving up a leadoff single in the seventh.
Parker got two quick outs, one a sacrifice, and it looked like he might nail it down when West Lauderdale leadoff batter Jacob Wooten hit a soft sinking liner to shallow centerfield.
Jacob Parker, who suffered a slight hamstring injury in the South State finals against Sumrall, appeared to make a diving catch, but he was unable to hold the ball and the runner scored the tying run from second.
“We really don’t have No. 1 or No. 2 on our staff,” said Farlow. “We’ve thrown Jo Jo on Tuesday and Eli on Friday before. They both throw about the same. Jo Jo threw a lot of pitches in the Sumrall series, so we felt like Eli’s arm was a little fresher.”
A lot of teams would have folded after such a setback, but Purvis just came out in the eighth and took care of business.
“It was crazy; I didn’t know what to think,” said Putnam. “I thought he caught it out there, to be honest. But getting on second and getting driven in for the winning run was huge. I just went up there to hit something hard. See the ball, hit the ball.”
Putnam smoked a 1-1 fastball to deep leftfield – a home run in almost any high school field – settling for a leadoff double. Walker followed with a single, putting runners at the corners and ending Herrington’s afternoon.
Herrington (12-2) scattered eight hits, struck out four and walked just one, and that was an intentional pass to Jo Jo Parker with a runner at second in the seventh.
Junior Austin Lawler delivered sophomore reliever Ridge Brown’s first pitch into leftfield for an RBI single, and the Tornadoes plated an insurance run on a double play.
Then it was left to Parker to finish it, and he did it in style. He needed just nine pitches to retire the Knights in order.
“I just wanted to get the job done for the team,” said Parker. “But we came back in the eighth, put a couple of runs up and that helped me relax some. I was a little more warmed up in the eighth, so I felt good.
“It was close. I think if (Jacob) is healthy, he gets to that ball. But it came out OK in the end.”
Parker (9-1) threw 20 pitches total in his two-inning relief stint, and he’ll get the ball right back on Friday as the Tornadoes try to close it out.
“We went to Jo Jo to close it, and he made some good pitches,” said Farlow. “I just hope it doesn’t hurt us for Friday. But we came to win today; that was our strategy. We’ll worry about Friday when it gets here.”
Prep Baseball Linescore
Class 4A State Championship Series
Game 1
Wednesday at Pearl
Purvis 3, West Lauderdale 1, 8 innings
Purvis 001 000 02 – 3 9 1
West Laud. 000 000 10 – 1 5 2
PURVIS (31-6): Jo Jo Parker 2 1B; Damon Putnam 2B, 1B; Ethan Walker 2 1B; Austin Lawler 2 1B; David Hudson Walker 1B. WP – Jo Jo Parker (9-1). Also pitching – Eli Lowe (starter).
WEST LAUDERDALE (28-8): Jacob Wooten 1B; Cannon Graham 3B; Kayden Peoples 1B; Jackson Parker 1B; Ian Herrington 1B. LP – Ian Herrington (12-2). Also pitching – Ridge Brown.
2023 Mississippi High School Baseball Playoffs
MHSAA
Championship Round
At Trustmark Park, Pearl
Best of three games
Game 1
Tuesday
Class 1A, Resurrection Catholic 8, West Union 7 (Resurrection leads series 1-0)
Class 3A, St. Stanislaus 7, Amory 3 (St. Stan leads series 1-0)
Class 6A, Lewisburg 2, Gulfport 1 (Lewisburg leads series 1-0)
Wednesday
Class 2A, East Union 14, Pisgah 0, 5 innings (EU leads series 1-0)
Class 4A, Purvis 3, West Lauderdale 1, 8 innings (Purvis leads series 1-0)
Class 5A, East Central 4, Saltillo 1 (East Central leads series 1-0).
Game 2
Thursday
1 p.m. – Class 1A, Resurrection Catholic (29-8) vs. West Union (21-4); 4 p.m. – Class 3A, St. Stanislaus (22-12) vs. Amory (30-5); 7 p.m. – Class 6A, Gulfport (23-11) vs. Lewisburg (22-8).
Friday
1 p.m. – Class 2A, Pisgah (25-8) vs. East Union (29-5); 4 p.m. – Class 4A, Purvis (31-6) vs. West Lauderdale (28-8); 7 p.m. – Class 5A, East Central (27-9) vs. Saltillo (27-8).
Game 3, if necessary
Saturday
1 p.m. – First series to qualify; 4 p.m. – Second series to qualify; 7 p.m. – Third series to qualify.
Sunday
1 p.m. – Fourth series to qualify; 4 p.m. – Fifth series to qualify; 7 p.m. – Sixth series to qualify.
Photos courtesy of Van Johnson Tyner
