By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
HATTIESBURG – Presbyterian Christian got part of what it wanted Friday night, but wasn’t able to claim the prize it really wanted.
The Bobcats held off Madison-Ridgeland 8-6 in the opening game of a District 1-6A doubleheader at Bobcat Field to clinch the best-of-three game series, but came up short in their bid for the sweep, falling 6-5 in the nightcap.
PCS finished the week 15-4 overall and 4-2 in district play, while MRA (15-10 overall) finally got a district win after five losses in league play.
“We left a lot of runners out there, especially in that second game,” said PCS coach Jarrett Hoffpauir. “All in all, I’m proud of our guys. We didn’t play our best, but we got a series win and we’ve got some things to work on, and that’s what we’ll do next week.”
The Bobcats were their own worst enemies for most of the day, overcoming six errors in the opener and leaving runners at third base in six of the seven innings in the second game.
“We’ve usually played good defense all year, and pitched well,” said Hoffpauir. “We hang our hat on pitching and defense. We didn’t play good defense there, but we got some timely pitching and got some outs. We’ll take it.”
Two errors on dropped fly balls in the outfield allowed the Patriots to get on the scoreboard first in Game 1.
But MRA only got one run out of those mistakes, as sophomore left-hander Tyner Flynt got a strikeout with a runner at third base to limit the damage.
“I had to keep a strong mind and be confident in my stuff,” said Flynt. “I knew I had my team behind me and they were ready to make a play.”
When Flynt went back out for the second inning, he was the beneficiary of a 3-1 lead, thanks to some wildness from Patriot senior right-hander Ryan Henderson.
Senior Turner Vance drew a leadoff walk, then Flynt and sophomore Bankston Walters singled to load the bases.
One run scored on a walk to senior Jacob Baugh, junior J.T. Smith was hit by a pitch and sophomore Jet Henderson walked to score the three PCS runs.
PCS made it 6-1 in the second inning on three hits and a costly error. Vance singled to lead off the inning, then a wild pitch and a ground ball to the right side sent him to third, and Walters got him home of a sacrifice fly.
Baugh doubled and scored from second on a throwing error off the bat of senior Drew Diamond, who took second when he successfully beat a pickoff play. Smith then drove Diamond in for the third run of the inning.
That was it for Carpenter (2-3), who was tagged for five runs on four hits, three walks and a pair of strikeouts.
“We knew they had a good guy on the mound, so we tried to put together good at-bats, trying to put him off his game,” said Walters. “He struggled a little throwing strikes, so we tried to barrel some balls up and I think we did that.”
MRA, however, chipped away at the Bobcat lead as Flynt had to adjust to a very tight strike zone. The Patriots got a run back in the third, when speedy senior Jack Dye walked, then stole second and third, and came home when the throw to third skipped into the outfield.
However, PCS regained its five-run lead in the bottom of the third when Vance stroked a two-out double and scored on Flynt’s RBI single up the middle.
The Patriots helped the PCS cause by running themselves out of four potential runs in each of the second, fourth, fifth, and seventh innings.
And those lost runs were the difference, as MRA kept cutting into the Bobcat lead.
The Patriots scored a run in the fourth after sophomore Will Bizot led off with an infield single. He was balked to second, stole third and came home on a wild pitch.
The Patriots subsequently got runners on the corners with one out, but Flynt got a flyout which turned into an inning-ending double play when the runner at third failed to tag.
MRA got two more runs in the fifth, but could have had more, except Dye was thrown out trying to steal third after a leadoff single.
With two out, the Patriots then got a walk and three consecutive singles to score their runs, putting runners on second and third, and that was the end of the day on the mound for Flynt.
Freshman Seth Hataway came on and needed just one pitch to get the Bobcats out of further trouble.
Flynt (4-1) went 4 2-3 innings, scattering seven hits, with four strikeouts and five walks. Of the five runs he allowed, only two were earned.
“I just tried to adjust to it,” said Flynt. “I tried to know what he was calling. I had to know what my pitches were going to do. I just needed to be confident in myself and be a team player. I had a lot of people chasing the change-up. That was my go-to pitch on 3-2 counts.”
The Bobcats got a big insurance run in the bottom of the fifth, when Hataway and Henderson opened the inning with singles, and both runners advanced on a sacrifice. Vance got the run home with a groundout to second.
In the sixth, Hataway pitched around a hit batter, a single and a botched pickoff that put runners at second and third with one out, getting a strikeout and a leaping snag of a hard-hit ball to senior second baseman Reeves Williamson for the final out of the inning.
Hataway surrendered a run in the seventh on an error and an RBI single by Patriot sophomore Case Thomas with one out. But Thomas was caught trying to steal second and Hataway got the final out to earn his second save of the season.
The second game was a case of missed opportunities that thwarted a comeback bid in the late innings.
MRA took the lead in the first off Smith with a run, but the Bobcats were unable to respond despite loading the bases with one out. MRA senior Camp Segrest got out of the jam with a strikeout and a groundout.
The Patriots also got a runner to third in the second inning but failed to score. However, PCS was unable to get the tying run across after sophomore Aaron Alston led off with a double and took third on a flyout to centerfield.
However, he was tagged out at the plate trying to score on a wild pitch, and the Patriots seized command in the next half-inning with three runs.
Sophomore Gunnar Swanson led off with an infield single on a bunt between the plate and the mound, then stole second. Dye walked and both runners advanced on a double steal, setting the table for senior Corey Watkins’ two-run double down the leftfield line.
That brought Smith’s night to an early end, as freshman Brennon Thoms came on for just his second appearance of the season. He was greeted by a single and a run-scoring sacrifice fly.
Smith (1-1) allowed four runs on four hits in 2-plus innings. Thoms gave the Bobcats three solid innings in relief, allowing three hits and a run in the fourth on a two-out RBI single by Dye.
Meanwhile, Segrest’s curveball seemed to mesmerize the Bobcats, even though PCS got two runs back in the bottom of the third.
Walters smacked a two-out double and Baugh sent him to third with a single to right. A walk and a throwing error got Walters home, and Baugh scored on a run-scoring single by Alson, who was 3-for-3 in the nightcap.
But the Bobcats left the bases loaded in the inning, as Segrest got Henderson on a sharp flare to second for the final out.
Segrest also pitched around a leadoff double in the fourth by Williamson, who took third on a wild pitch. Two strikeouts and a deep flyout to centerfield kept the runner at third without a run scoring.
“He was a good pitcher,” said Walters. “Any time in high school when you can throw your curveball for strikes in any count, you’re going to have success. And he was successful in getting us out with the curve.”
Segrest (3-1) went five innings, allowed six hits, struck out seven and walked three.
MRA made it 6-2 in the top of the sixth off Henderson, making his first appearance of the season. The Patriots got three consecutive walks to open the inning, but the first two were erased at second on steal attempts.
But two singles got a run home, and that proved to be the difference, when PCS finally broke through for three runs in the bottom of the inning.
Alston, Henderson and Williams loaded the bases on two walks sandwiched around a double off MRA sophomore Jack Grove. The Patriots got two outs, but Walters smoked a deep fly ball to right for a bases-clearing double.
“I got down in the count 1-2 and 2-2, so I was just trying to put something in play,” said Walters. “He was throwing pretty hard, so I just tried to line one up and that’s what I did.”
Sophomore Cash James got the final out in the top of the sixth and retired the Patriots in order in the top of the seventh, giving PCS a chance in a one-run game, and the Bobcats almost pulled it off.
With one out, Alston singled and Henderson walked. A slow roller to third advanced the runners, but Vance’s high fly to rightfield wasn’t able to get it done, leaving two more runners stranded in scoring position.
PCS only has four seniors on its roster, but Hoffpauir has gotten all he can get from a young roster.
“Our four seniors are invaluable,” said Hoffpauir. “They’re big-time.
“The guys behind them are young, a really good group of freshmen and sophomores that are talented. We’re excited about them. They’re good on the mound and they swing the bats well, so we feel like we’re pretty deep this year.”
PREP BASEBALL LINESCORES
Friday at Hattiesburg
Presbyterian Christian 8, Madison-Ridgeland 6
MRA 101 120 1 – 6 10 1
PCS 331 010 X – 8 10 6
MADISON-RIDGELAND (14-10, 0-5 in 1-6A): Jack Dye 2 1B; Drew Lambert 1B; Will Bizot 2 1B; Case Thomas 3 1B; Tyler Hester 2B, 1B. LP –Ryan Carpenter (2-3). Also pitching – Jack Poole.
PRESBYTERIAN CHRISTIAN (15-3, 4-1 in 1-6A): Turner Vance 2B, 1B; Tyner Flynt 2 1B; Bankston Walters 1B; Jacob Baugh 2B, 1B; J.T. Smith 1B; Seth Hataway 1B; Jet Henderson 1B. WP – Tyner Flynt (4-1). Save – Seth Hataway (2).
Madison-Ridgeland 6, Presbyterian Christian 5
MRA 103 101 0 – 2 2 3
PCS 130 301 X – 8 6 1
MADISON-RIDGELAND (15-10, 1-5 in 1-6A): Gunnar Swanson 2 1B; Jack Dye 1B; Corey Watkins 2B, 1B; Ethan Mallett 2 1B; Will Bizot 2B; Drew Lambert 1B. WP – Camp Segrest (3-1) 7 Ks. Save – Aidan Peets (1). Also pitching – Jack Grove.
PRESBYTERIAN CHRISTIAN (15-4, 4-2 in 1-6A): Tyner Flynt 1B; Bankston Walters 2 2B (3 RBI); Jacob Baugh 1B; Aaron Alston 2B, 2 1B; Jet Henderson 2B; Reese Williamson 2B. LP – J.T. Smith (1-1). Also pitching – Brennan Thoms; Jet Henderson; Cash James.
