Cobras, Bobcats win; Panthers fall in Spring Break action
Published 11:45 am Wednesday, March 12, 2014
MONTICELLO-The Wesson Cobras claimed two more come-from-behind victories on Day 2 of the Southwest Mississippi Spring Break Baseball Classic, at Lawrence County High School. The Cobras scored 9 runs in the fourth inning to earn a 12-5 win over Bogue Chitto. After that, Seth Lofton’s crew rallied from behind to edge Mendenhall 9-8. On Monday, the Cobras had overcome a 5-run deficit in a win over Magee.
“I’m so proud of the way our guys battled back in all of these games,” Lofton said. “This has been a great two days for our team.”
In other Tuesday action, Bogue Chitto rode a big first inning to a 10-0, 4-inning win over Enterprise. In the final game of the day, North Pike rode the 2-hit pitching of Levi Wishart to a 6-1 victory over the Ole Brook Panthers.
One other game was scheduled, pitting North Pike against Mendenhall. After one inning, those teams were tied at 4-4. After a lengthy rain delay, both teams agreed to scratch the game, allowing for the late North Pike-Brookhaven contest.
“We had a decent day,” said host coach Cory Keyes of Lawrence County. “We had to pull the tarp twice, but we got four of the five games in. In terms of rain, we should be okay for the rest of the week.”
BOGUE CHITTO 10, ENTERPRISE 0
In the first game of the day, the Bogue Chitto Bobcats roughed up Enterprise seventh-grader Landon Gartman with 6 runs on 6 hits in the top of the first, and never looked back. Landon Roberts and Steven Ginn each had 2-run singles in the inning.
Ginn, Landon Roberts, Brock Roberts, Tucker Lambert, and Brooks Ingle each had 2 hits to power the Bobcats. Keith Wells also added a hit.
Nick Parker pitched a 4-inning shutout, allowing only a fourth-inning single by Jeffery Daniels. Parker struck out 4, walked 1, and hit 2 batters.
WESSON 12, BOGUE CHITTO 5
Bogue Chitto got off to another good start in the second game of the day, and led Wesson 5-2 through 3 innings. A Brooks Ingle 2-run double was the biggest hit for the Bobcats.
Unfortunately for Bogue Chitto, there was a fifth inning, and the wheels totally came off on the Bobcats. Five different pitchers pulled mound duty for Bogue Chitto in that inning, as Wesson score 9 runs on 5 hits. The biggest blow was a grand slam homerun by Cobras first baseman Mack Smith.
Mac McQuage led Wesson with 2 hits. Smith, Jace Alexander, Austin Crow, Conner Lowery, Justin Boone, and Ryan Traxler also hit safely for the Cobras. Preston Adams was the winning pitcher, in relief of starter Payton Burns.
Steven Ginn and Landon Roberts each had 2 hits to lead Bogue Chitto. Ingle, Brock Roberts, and Tucker Lambert also had hits for the Bobcats. Nick Parker again started on the mound, and threw effective innings before running into trouble in the fourth.
WESSON 9, MENDENHALL 8
The never-say-die Cobras were at it again in the third game of the day. They trailed Mendenhall by as many as 5 runs, only to score 3 in the bottom of the third, 3 in the fourth, and win it with a walk-off hit in the fifth (a tournament time rule limited the game to five innings).
With one out in the bottom of the fifth, and the game knotted at 8-8, Wesson put together three straight singles. The final hit, by Mack Smith, drove home Austin Crow with the winning run.
Crow, Mack Smith, Tyler McLeod, and Matthew Burns each had 2 hits for the Cobras. Justin Boone and Jase Alexander also hit safely.
Mack Smith pitched the first four innings. Jeremy Smith worked a scoreless fifth and was credited with the win.
Nathan Jolly led Mendenhall with 2 hits, and Tiger first baseman Brandon Bowen smacked a 2-run homer. Ross Lunn was the first of four Mendenhall pitchers. He worked 3 and 1/3 innings.
NORTH PIKE 6, BROOKHAVEN 1
After a lengthy rain delay, North Pike and Brookhaven went at it in the final action of the day. North Pike was in control from the outset, scoring a run in the first, and 3 more in the second, to grab a 4-0 lead.
That was more than enough for Jaguar left-hander Levi Wishart, who limited Ole Brook to just 2 singles. Wishart struck out 5.
For North Pike, LD Coney, Brantley Hughes, and Ben Coney each had 2 hits. Reed Taylor, Patrick Roberts, and Blake Dunaway each had 1.
Landon McCullough and pitcher Reed Jones had the only hits for Brookhaven. Jones, a senior left-hander, worked four innings for the Panthers.
Games were slated to begin at 10 o’clock this morning, with Enterprise taking on Salem. After that, the Yellow Jackets were to face Tylertown. Host Lawrence County and Magee were scheduled for a 2:30 tilt.
On Thursday and Friday, five games are scheduled for each day, beginning at 10 a.m., and running through roughly 10 p.m.