Lawrence wins, Brookhaven falls twice in tournament action
MONTICELLO – North Pike and host Lawrence County were big winners in day two of the Southwest Mississippi Spring Break Baseball Classic at Lawrence County High School.
Lawrence County started the day by blasting Vicksburg 14-0 in 4 innings. Next, the Florence Eagles defeated the Brookhaven Panthers 11-3. The third game of the day was the best one, with Mendenhall edging Ole Brook 6-2. In the nightcap, North Pike defeated Mendenhall by a 10-2 score.
“We’ve had two very good days,” said Lawrence County coach Josh Garrett. “We’re always honored to have our neighboring schools here at our place. We know we’re looking at weather issues later in the week, but we’ll do the best we can with it.”
Today is an off day for the classic. Five games are scheduled for Thursday, and two on Friday.
Lawrence County 14, Vicksburg 0
Lawrence County’s Brandon Bullock fired a four-inning no-hitter for the Cougars, striking out eight. Only two Gator batters reached base, one via a base on balls and the other on a strikeout-wild pitch.
The Cougars, meanwhile, had their way against Vicksburg righty Branden Humphrey. LCHS scored six in the first, three in the second, and five in the third. The game was halted after Vicksburg batted in the top of the fourth.
Gabriel Lewis went 3-for-3 to pace the Cougars. Kasey Durr had two hits. Bullock, T-Tez Cole, Seth Bass, Rishad Haynes, and Josh Stephens each had one. Stephens had two sacrifice flies in the game, and Marcus Atterberry also added a sac fly.
Florence 11, Brookhaven 3
As has been the case on occasion this season, the rebuilding Panthers got burned by the one bad inning. In this case, it was the second inning, when Florence put together four hits and took advantage of two critical Panther errors in a nine-run outburst. Ole Brook never recovered.
Brad Dennis led Florence with two hits. Starting pitcher Walker Ladner went three and one-third innings to earn the win. He and reliever Coree Adcock combined to strike out five.
Blaine Moak led the Panthers with a triple. Jacob Porter and Tyler Mixon each had singles. Porter started on the mound and worked a scoreless first. In the second, he was relieved by Sevanta Quinn and Tyler Mixon. Johnny Bowman got the final three outs for Brookhaven.
Mendenhall 6, Brookhaven 2
The third game of the day was the best, and though it didn’t result in a win, it was one of Ole Brook’s best outings of the young season. Trailing 4-2, the Panthers got the potential tying runs into scoring position with one out. However, an infield pop-up and a groundout ended the inning. Mendenhall added single runs in the fifth and sixth to close out the win.
Tate Walley pitched a complete game for Brookhaven, striking out five and allowing seven hits. Walley handed out only one free pass in six innings of work, a first-inning hit batsman.
Darrian Wilson had a single and a double to pace the Panthers. Blaine Moak also added a double. Reese Reynaud, Tyler Mixon, and Jacob Porter also had hits.
Jordan Jenkins also went the distance for Mendenhall. He allowed six hits and struck out five. Jenkins also had the Tigers’ biggest blow of the game, a second inning three-run homer. He had two hits in the game, as did Tiger teammates Luke Odom and Jeremy McMillon.
North Pike 10, Mendenhall 2
North Pike stayed hot in the final game of the night, beating Mendenhall in a six-inning affair. Veteran right-hander Ben Coney worked six strong innings to earn the win. He allowed six hits and struck out four. His Jaguar defense was flawless behind Coney.
North Pike jumped to a 6-1 through three innings. Brantley Hughes, Matthew Phillips, Parker Phillips, and Conner Travis each had two hits for the Jaguars. Coney, Jacob Gill, and Tyler Alexander also hit safely.
Jordan Jenkins stayed hot for Mendenhall with three hits, including a double. Jake Lunn added two hits, and Luke Odom had one. Odom, Jeremy McMillon, and Lunn shared pitching duty.
Though the weather forecast for the remainder of the week is rather ominous, Thursday’s action is slated to begin at 10 a.m. with Franklin County taking on Salem. Host Lawrence County has two games scheduled, a 2:30 tilt with Natchez and a 7 p.m. nightcap with Mendenhall.