Panthers celebrate reunion; Blanks Natchez Bulldogs

Published 2:30 am Sunday, March 30, 2014

DAILY LEADER / MARTY ALBRIGHT / Brookhaven first baseman Brett Spring steps over to receive the throw from the catcher to tag out Natchez runner Jarell Morris (3) Friday afternoon.

DAILY LEADER / MARTY ALBRIGHT / Brookhaven first baseman Brett Spring steps over to receive the throw from the catcher to tag out Natchez runner Jarell Morris (3) Friday afternoon.

The Brookhaven Panthers continue to dominate in their Region 6-5A race as they shut out the Natchez Bulldogs 10-0 Friday night in baseball action at Moyer Field.

“This was a good district win,” said BHS coach Randy Spring. “The guys played hard offensively and we were solid on defense as we did not commit an error in the game. Overall, I was very pleased with the guys effort, but we still need to continue to work hard to get better.”

The Panthers (11-5, 5-0) resume action Tuesday as they prepare to host the Hazlehurst Indians. Junior varsity action starts at 5 p.m., followed by the varsity game at 7 p.m.

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Brookhaven 10, Natchez 0 

Brookhaven struggled to get things going offensively as they pushed only one run across the plate to take a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

The Panthers relied on their tough defense to keep Natchez off balance until they managed to find their offensive click at the plate in the third and fourth innings. Brookhaven increased their lead to 6-0 after four innings of work.

With a strong hold on a shut out victory, the Panthers continued to pound the Bulldogs at the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning with a four run blast to clinch the win.

Landon McCullough was the winning pitcher for the Panthers with 10 strikeouts and three walks.

Jeremy Myles absorbed the loss for the Bulldogs with three strikeouts and seven walks.

Nick Kesler powered Ole Brook’s offense with a double and a single. Reed Jones contributed two singles. Penn Wilson and McCullough had a double each. Hitting safely were Myles Tipton, Blaine Moak and Michael Lambert.

Darrick Lewis, Quincy Henderson and Jeremy Myles were the top hitters for Natchez with a single apiece.

After the Panther victory, Brookhaven’s baseball fans remained around to enjoy a special moment at Moyer Field Friday afternoon as the Panthers held a special celebration to commemorate their 10-year reunion since winning the Class 4A State Championship in 2004. Several members of that special team gathered around the pitching mound to show their thanks.

The 2004 state championship was the first and only year the baseball team won the title in the school’s history. The team finished with an overall record of 30-8 and were undefeated in their division schedule.

During that exciting state championship run, the Panthers reflected on some special memories as they claimed a pair of one run wins over McComb and Lawrence County during the season.

In the post season, Brookhaven sported an 8-3 record with wins over George County, Laurel, Northeast Lauderdale and West Jones for the South State Championship.

In the championship series, Brookhaven lost the opener to Pontotoc 6-5, but rallied back to blank Pontotoc 10-0 in game two to force a game three bout at the historic Smith Wills Stadium, where the Panthers dominated Pontotoc 10-2.

Members of the 2004 State Championship team were Josh Coone, Garion Crockett, Marlon Dixon, Cody Dunaway, Brooks Hall, Brant Hinton, W.T. King, Grant McDonnieal, Adam Ogden, Guy Orr, Josh Patrick, Darius Perkins, Xavier Qualls, Scottie Smith, Matt Walker, Zach Wilson, Elliott Warren, Bat Boy: Brett Spring, Statisticians: Sabrina Armstrong, Ashley Hutcher, Emily Oberschmidt, Head manager: Keasha Hooker, Assistant Coaches: Dwayne Oberschmidt, Jaymie Palmer, Eric Stokes and Head coach Randy Spring.

DAILY LEADER / MARTY ALBRIGHT / Brookhaven's Landon McCullough delivers his pitch to Natchez Friday at Moyer Field.

DAILY LEADER / MARTY ALBRIGHT / Brookhaven’s Landon McCullough delivers his pitch to Natchez Friday at Moyer Field.