WESSON – The Copiah-Lincoln Wolves picked up their first division win of the season in memorable fashion on Sunday afternoon after sophomore outfielder Choc Hubbard hit a walk-off 2-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the home team a 10-8 win over Meridian. The Co-Lin win came in game two of the divisional doubleheader after Meridian took a 9-0 win in game one.

Meridian 9, Co-Lin 0

An inability to get hits wasted a standout pitching performance from Co-Lin sophomore Shane Brown. The Simpson Academy graduate went seven innings and gave up six hits and one run while striking out five. Brown threw 106 pitches and faced 29 Meridian batters.

Trailing 1-0 in the top of the eighth with two outs, Co-Lin saw themselves dig a hole that they wouldn’t be able to climb out of. Freshman pitcher Tanner Jones, one of the steadiest arms out of the Co-Lin bullpen, hit two consecutive Meridian batters. That was followed by an error by Co-Lin third baseman Tanner Parvin that loaded the bases.

The next Eagle batter, Jared Savell cleared the bases with a grand slam off of Jones that landed on the roof of the covered hitting facility in left field and Meridian led 5-0. Savell would add another homerun in the top of the ninth inning. Andrew Crooks also homered for the Eagles.

The Eagles outhit Co-Lin 11-4 and the Wolves committed four errors. Adrian Brown, Jeremy Moore, Choc Hubbard, and Austin Resser all hit safely for Co-Lin.

Co-Lin 10, Meridian 8

Game two went to extra inning after the teams were tied at 8-8 after seven innings. Hubbard came to bat in the bottom of the eighth after Reed Taylor led the inning off with a single. Hubbard crushed a Dustin Smith pitch to right field and set off a wild celebration in the Co-Lin dugout. Where Co-Lin could not buy a hit in the opener, the Wolves posted 15 hits in game two. The Wolves did commit two errors and allow 14 Meridian hits though.

The Eagles led 4-0 after 2.5 innings before Co-Lin got two runs in the bottom of the third. Jordan Antley scored the first Co-Lin run after Choc Hubbard drew a walk with the bases full. The next batter, Austin Irby, singled to score Jeremy Moore.

Hubbard cut the lead to 4-3 with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth with a hit that scored Moore. The big inning for Co-Lin was the sixth as the Wolves scored five runs to take their first lead of the game. Austin Resser singled to start the inning and that was followed by a Wesley Watts single. Jordan Antley walked to load the bases with no outs. Moore then singled to score Resser. Reed Taylor hit a two RBI single later in the inning that scored Watts and Antley. Loyd Star product Logan Smith came in to pinch hit and delivered in a big way with a two RBI single that scored Moore and Taylor and Co-Lin had grabbed an 8-6 lead.

The Wolves couldn’t hold the lead though as Meridian scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning that set the stage for Hubbard’s heroic hit. Co-Lin starter Cole Langdon pitched five innings and gave up five runs on seven hits. Watts moved to the mound from second base and pitched the sixth and seventh innings, giving up two earned runs on seven hits. Antley picked up the win after pitching the eighth inning. Antley played the first seven innings as the shortstop. The freshman struck out one and pitched a perfect inning.

Co-Lin (8-9, 1-3 Division) will be in action today, when they host Baton Rouge for a single nine inning game at 4 p.m. in Wesson.