Tigers’ season ends with 14-12 loss to Starkville
Published 10:36 am Wednesday, April 27, 2022
South Panola’s baseball season came to an end for this year with a first round playoff loss to Starkville as the Yellowjackets advanced to the second round to play defending state champion Madison Central.
SP split games with Starkville over the weekend, but lost the rubber match Monday night at home.
Starkville 6
SP 2
In a winner-take-all third and deciding game Monday (April 26) at South Panola, Starkville fell behind 1-0 before plating two runs in the fifth and six innings to hold off the Tigers
Eli Russell and John Blockmon had two hits each for South Panola who out-hit the Yellowjackets 8-3. Brock Ware, Aiden Williams and Russell had a double each.
Brayden Martin drove in a run with a RBI single while Eli Raines also provided a single.
Williams got the start and went six innings on the mound and gave up four runs (three unearned) on one hit while anning seven.
Ware tossed the seventh inning by surrendering one run on two hits.
SP 6
Starkville 5
(11 innings)
South Panola staved off elimination in game two with an extra inning thriller at Starkville Saturday (April 24) as Eli Raines RBI double to score Baylor Scammon in the top of the 11th to give the Tigers a 5-4 lead.
Raines later scored on Tate Anderson’s groundout to give South Panola a key insurance run.
The Tigers fell behind 4-1 after one inning before tying the game at 4-4 in the fifth. Michael Johnson paced South Panola at the plate with three singles and RBI. Johnson got the start on the mound and went 8 ½ innings on 120 pitches.
After exiting the mound in the bottom of the ninth, the sophomore made the play of the game by throwing out the game-winning run at home with two outs.
Williams picked up the win with 2.1 innings of relief. Mari Boyd recorded a double and triple as part of the Tiger 13-hit attack. Blockmon added a double and single while Scammon had two singles. Martin also delivered a two-run single. Jordan McCollins scored two in the game.
Starkville 6
SP 2
The Yellowjackets took game one of the series Friday in Batesville with four runs in the sixth inning to break open a 2-2 game. South Panola hurt themselves with five errors out-hit Starkville 8-3 with Russell leading the way with a double and two singles.
Boyd added a pair of singles while Johnson, Martin, Williams, Scammon and Martin all singled.
