MONTICELLO – Two area teams opened the 2009 high school baseballon a cool, damp, blustery Saturday afternoon at Jimmie Davis Park.Lawrence County started its year on a high note, hammeringshorthanded Franklin County 11-1 in a 5-inning game that was haltedby the 10-run rule. Shortly thereafter, the host Cougars dropped a4-3 decision to visiting Northwest Rankin.

“We had a good day,” said fifth-year Lawrence County coach CoryKeyes. “Obviously, we’d love to be 2-0, but we played two prettysolid games, so we can’t complain. It was good just to be able toplay, with all the rain we had yesterday and last night.”

Heavy rain wasn’t the only thing that made opening day a bit ofa challenge for Keyes. On Friday afternoon, he and wife Jenniferwelcomed their second daughter into the world.

“It’s been a full couple of days,” Keyes grinned, “but it’sworked out pretty well, both from a baseball standpoint and, moreimportantly, for my family.”

In Saturday’s first game, Keyes got a huge effort from seniorpitcher Conner Oakes. Oakes stymied Franklin County on just 2hits-singles by Colton Laird and Dehendrent Collins-and struck out7 in just 5 innings of work. At the bat, Oakes was just asproductive. He went 3-for-3, with a homerun, 2 doubles, and 4 runsbatted in.

Shortstop Scott Votaw also went 3-for-3 for Lawrence County.Ford Johnson, Willie Buckley, Wesley Wilson, Dillon Lee, LaneStephens, and Tucker Smith and Carlton Parkman also had hits.

Colton Laird started and worked a determined 4 innings for BrentCalcote’s Bulldogs. He was relieved by lefthander Phillip Dixon inthe fifth.

Franklin County was working a bit shorthanded. Three likelyBulldog starters are still involved with the Bulldog basketballteam, which enters South 3A play next week.

NW Rankin 4, Lawrence Co. 3

The second game of the day was a good one, with Cougar sophomoreVotaw matched up against one of Mississippi’s top 5A programs,Coach Jeff McClaskey’s Northwest Rankin Cougars.

In a close, tense, playoff-like game, Northwest Rankin squeezedout its first win of the season. Andrew Lee earned the win, going 4and 1/3 competitive innings. Brandon Pennington earned the save forNorthwest, working the final 2 and 2/3.

Votaw was rock-solid for Lawrence County. The talentedtenth-grader threw 7 innings, striking out 8 and allowing just 5hits. Votaw got better as the day went along, retiring the last 9Northwest Rankin batters he faced.

Northwest scored 2 in the top of the first, thanks to an erredfly ball, an RBI double by shortstop Taylor Stark, and an RBIsingle by first baseman Cody Livingston.

Lawrence County got 1 back in the bottom of the inning. WillieBuckley single, moved to second on an errant pickoff attempt, andscored on Tyler Reeves’ single.

LCHS knotted the game in the second, on third baseman DylanLea’s solo homer. Lea and Reeves each had 2 hits for the homeCougars. Johnson and Buckley each got 1 hit.

Northwest took advantage of some uncharacteristic controlproblems from Votaw to score the lead run in the third, and thenmade it 4-2 in the fourth, when Garret McBeth tripled and wassqueezed home by Justin Reedy.

In the bottom of the fifth, LCHS scored its final run of theday. Lea singled, was bunted to second by Lane Stephens, and scoredon a 2-out single by Johnson. The Cougars got the potential tyingrun to second in both the fifth and sixth innings, but were retiredin order in the seventh.

Lawrence County will be back in action on Monday, traveling toLaurel to take on South Jones. The Cougars will play West Jones,also at Laurel, on Thursday.