TERRY-The Brookhaven Panthers defeated the Lawrence CountyCougars 4-2, in 8 innings, in the opening game of the Division 6-4Abaseball tournament, at Terry High School. The win advancesBrookhaven (19-9) into Friday’s winners’ bracket game, at 1 p.m.,while Lawrence County(22-7) dropped into a losers’ bracket contest,at 4 p.m.

In the other playoff game last night, Terry pounded McComb 11-1.Terry (19-8) meets Brookhaven in the first game today at 1.Lawrence County tackles McComb at 4.

Brookhaven got a masterful pitching performance from juniorleft-hander Paxton King (7-3) and 2-run homers from Bud Britt andTaylor Newman, to earn the win. Newman’s blast came in the eighthinning after Lawrence County had tied the game,with an unearned runin the bottom of the seventh.

King was outstanding. In 8 innings, he scattered 5 hits, andstruck out 14, hit 1 batter, and walked none. King could easilyhave had a shutout, as Lawrence County runs in the sixth andseventh were unearned.

“Paxton was outstanding,” said long-time LCHS assistant CraigDavis. “He spotted his fastball really well, and threw his breakingball for strikes whenever he wanted to. It’s been a long, long timesince we struck out 14 times in a game. Hats off to him. It was afluke that we scored at all.”

Lawrence County’s Joseph Evans (9-1) gave it a great fight aswell. In 8 innings, he gave up 6 hits and struck out 7. He didallow 6 free passes, hitting 3 batters and walking 3 others.

Randy Spring’s Panthers broke on top in the top of the third.King led off with a single, and Britt followed with a homer justinside the left field foul pole. BHS had a 2-0 lead, and King madethat lead stand up for a long time.

Through 5 innings, the Cougars, coached by Cory Keyes, had just2 base runners. Second baseman Justin Hewitt doubled in the third,and third baseman Mackenzie Woods doubled in the fourth. Both hitscame with 2 outs, however, and King quickly worked his way out ofboth innings.

With 2 out in the bottom of the sixth, Lawrence County catcherZachary Summers singled. Courtesy runner Ford Johnson stole second,and scored when Trent Hartzog’s infield chopper was erred. It was2-1.

The Cougars tied it in the seventh with a run that almostdefines the word “unearned.” LCHS first baseman Nick Jackson ledoff the inning, and reached first when his bouncer scooted awayfrom Panther first baseman Cody Ratcliff. King proceeded to strikeout the next 3 Cougar batters, but the third, Dominique West,reached on a wild pitch, on which Ford Johnson, now pinch runningfor Jackson, came around to score. Suddenly, it was a 2-2 game.

In the top of the eighth, Evans quickly retired the first 2Brookhaven batters. With 2 out, Ratcliff singled to center, settingup Newman’s game-winning blast.

Lawrence County got the potential tying runs on base in thebottom of the eighth, but King again shut the door on theCougars.

Britt led Brookhaven with 2 hits. King, Ratcliff, Newman, andElliott Warren each had 1. Summers had 2 singles for LawrenceCounty. Evans, Woods, and Hewitt each had 1 hit.