MONTICELLO-Weather forecast be danged, day one of the Southwest Mississippi Spring Break Baseball Classic went off without a hitch Monday, at Lawrence County High’s Jimmie Davis Park. Seven area schools played a total of five games, battling not only the opposing teams, but sporadic rainfall. The action began at 10 a.m., and didn’t end until about 11 p.m.

In the first game of the day, the Bogue Chitto Bobcats edged the South Pike Eagles 5-3. South Pike rebounded in game two, beating Salem by a 6-3 score. Mendenhall beat Loyd Star 12-6 in the third game of the day. After that, the North Pike Jaguars took to the field and split games with the two Simpson County schools. First, North Pike defeated Mendenhall by a 12-5 score. In the final game of the evening, the Magee Trojans scored five late runs to grab a 5-4 win over the Jaguars.

Though the host Lawrence County Cougars didn’t throw a single pitch or get a single hit, first-year LCHS coach Josh Garrett sang the praises of his troops for doing the dirty work in a very long day.

“The odds were against us getting all five games in today,” Garrett said, “but our guys worked their tails off and got it done. I certainly didn’t want to keep them here for 15 hours on a day they didn’t even get to play, but they came through big-time.

“Pulling a wet tarp multiple times is one of the most exhausting things you can do, along with all the other field work. I’m proud of my guys, and proud that our guests got to play their games.”

This is the fifth straight year Lawrence County has hosted a huge spring break baseball event. Though plenty of inclement weather is in the forecast for the remainder of the week, a total of 20 games (including Monday’s contests) are scheduled, featuring 14 high school baseball teams.

Here’s a brief re-cap of Monday’s games:

BOGUE CHITTO 5, SOUTH PIKE 3 

The two best games of the day were the first and the last. In the 10 a.m. opener, Tony Davis’ Bogue Chitto Bobcats edged South Pike in a dandy game that featured two strong pitching efforts.

Bogue Chitto’s Steven Ginn pitched a complete-game 2-hitter, limiting South Pike to just 3 unearned first-inning runs. Ginn struck out 5. He was almost matched by South Pike’s Robert Holmes, who fired a 3-hitter and struck out 4.

After South Pike scored its 3 runs in the top of the first, Bogue Chitto clawed back for the win. Catcher Bo Smithers had 2 of the Bobcats’ 3 hits. One of them triggered a scoring rally, and the other drove in a run. Nick Parker also hit safely for Bobcats. Center fielder Brooks Ingle was a key defensive player, running down two deep fly balls in the alleys.

The win was the third in the last four games for Bogue Chitto.

SOUTH PIKE 6, SALEM 3 

For the second straight game, Neil Smith’s Eagles jumped ahead with 3 first-inning runs. Salem came back to tie it at 3-3, only to see South Pike win it with another 3-run rally in the sixth. The senior-laden Eagles are perhaps South Pike’s strongest team in several years.

Keshun Nimox added 2 more hits, both of which drove in runs. Kadarious Varnado, Jeffery Pace, and Robert Holmes also hit safely. Varnado started on the mound and went 4-plus innings. Blake Lantrip relieved him and earned the win. The duo combined to strike out 10 Salem hitters.

Salem got 2 hits from catcher Blaine Bossier. Ty Pezant started and worked 3 decent innings. He gave way to Tanner Polk in the fourth. Polk also went 3 innings, and was tagged with the loss.

MENDENHALL 12, LOYD STAR 6 

Mendenhall broke to an early 6-0 lead and at one point led 12-3 over the Hornets, who just never got going on Monday. Mendenhall tallied all those runs on just 5 hits, taking great advantage of 4 Loyd Star miscues.

Jay Perkins and Levi Caldwell each got 2 hits for the Tigers. Mendenhall employed 3 pitchers in the game. Greyson Seghini stated and got credited for the win. Jeremy McMillen and Levi Caldwell finished things up.

Caleb Yarborough had 2 hits, a single and a double, for Loyd Star. Bradyn Brister, Cade Hodges, and Cole Smith also hit safely. Hayden Brownlee, Dylan Smith, and Levi Redd all pulled mound duty for the Hornets.

NORTH PIKE 12, MENDENHALL 5 

George Lott’s powerhouse Jaguars had their way with Mendenhall in the fourth game of the day. North Pike led 5-3 through four innings, then put the game away with a 6-run outburst in the top of the fifth.

Ben Coney, Blake Dunaway, and Brantley Hughes each banged out 2 hits to lead North Pike. Jonah Bankston, Dallas Smith, and Jacob Gill also hit safely.

Coney started on the mound and worked 4 innings to earn the win. Levi Wishart pitched the fifth and sixth.

Jay McDaniel and Jay Mabry each had 2 hits for Mendenhall. On a day when extra base hits were at a premium, Tiger catcher Aeron Jones whacked a solo homerun.

Levi Caldwell, who got the final out of the previous game, started for Mendenhall, and was saddled with the loss. Jay Perkins relieved Caldwell in the fifth.

MAGEE 5, NORTH PIKE 4 

North Pike has rolled through most of its early-season opposition, and the Jaguars appeared poised to do the same to Magee. North Pike tallied 4 in the top of the third to take command of the final game of the evening.

That’s when Magee center field Alonzo Brown went to work. In the bottom of the fifth, Brown blasted a grand slam to tie the game. One inning later, he laced a bases-loaded single to end the game. A 2-hour tournament time limit shortened the game to six innings.

Brown, Jonathan Adcox, and Devonta Calero each had 2 hits for the Trojans. Nick Bullock started on the hill for Magee, but came out during North Pike’s 4-run third inning rally. Dalton Cockrell relieved and earned the win.

Blake Dunaway again had 2 hits for North Pike. Brantley Hughes, Jonah Bankston, and Tyler Alexander also hit safely. Left-hander Dallas Smith started for the Jaguars. He was relieved in the fifth by Cade Killingsworth.

Four more games are slated for Tuesday. Weather permitting, the Ole Brook Panthers and the host LCHS Cougars will both be in action. Three games are scheduled on Wednesday.