Speck’s Sports Blog

T4

After 3.5, EW 8-1.

EW threatening with runners at 1/3 with two out.

B3

Ingomar leaves two on, trails 8-1 after 3.

EW has four two-RBI hits for an 8-0 lead.

T3

Gordon has four RBIs after a two-out two RBI single for an 8-1 EW lead after 2.5.

B2

Tanner Robeson struck out Ben Dixon to leave two on for Ingomar, 6-1 after 2.

Heard RBI single, 6-1 EW.

T2

Johnthan Banks 2-run single, 6-0 EW after 1.5.

Bart Stewart base hit puts runners at 1/2 with one out - pitching change Jared Carter for Kyle Heard.

Christopher Gordon’s 2-run single makes it 4-0.

O’Briant 2-run double, 2-0 EW, runners at 2/3.

Love walked to load bases, Reginald O’Briant at bat.

Jordan Mixon reached on an error and Taylor Williams walked to open the second. Blake Love at bat.

B1

Three up, three down, 0-0 after 1.

T1

Despite three base runners, Ingomar got Johnthan Banks to ground out and the Falcons got out of the innings, 0-0. 

FINAL: 16-6 East Central wins Class 4A title.

EC just posted a five-spot in the sixth, lead Vicksburg 16-6, one out away from a title.

In Class 4A, East Webster leads Vicksburg 11-6 with EC batting in the top of the sixth. EC went up 11-2 with an eight run fifth, but Vicksburg got four back in the bottom.

Coming up, East Webster/Ingomar updates.

FINAL: Richton 4 Hamilton 2

Dylan Earnest struck out 12, but four errors behind him erased that feat. Game 2 Monday at 4 p.m.

T6

Isaac Winders’ single was ruined when he got picked off, still 4-1 Richton.

B5

Earnest k’s the side. that’s seven for him. Too bad he hadn’t had any defense behind him.

Three up, three down for Richton starter JaCoby Jones, 4-1 Richton.

B4

Kevin McCarteny’s double play flyout and throw home ended a threat, but Richton scored another run on Jacoby Jones’ RBI double for a 4-1 lead.

T4

Double play kills the Lions, who had two on and none out, still 3-1 Richton.

B3

Earnest loaded the bases on a walk, but struck out David Walley to escape, his fifth of the game. Richton still leads 3-1.

3-1 Richton after 2 

3-1 Richton after 2.5

Miles Mayo, Jordan Cochran, and David Walley score off single by Joel Cochran to give Richton 3-1 lead

1-0 Hamilton after 1.5

 1-0 Hamilton after 1

Hamilton leads Richton 1-0 in middle of 1st.

t1- Kevin McCartney scores on single by Travis Frembgen 

Hamilton and Richton first pitch in about 24 minutes. Updates comings.

FINAL: Tupelo 5 Ocean Springs 4

B8

Joseph Koon’s walk-off single to right scores Perrin Crews in the bottom of the eighth, Tupleo wins Game 2 5-4

Kyle Thornton’s bloop double lands him at second with two outs and Chris Stratton at the plate. Stratton intentionally walked. Perrin Crews running for Thornton, Joseph Koon at the plate.

If Gardner Richey’s foul had been straight, this one would be over. He grounded out.

T8

Still tied at 4-all.

Going to the 8th

B7

Channing Walker singled with one out, but Weston Roberts flew out to right, two outs. Evan Weibel at the plate, groundout.

Tupelo at bat tied a 4.

B6

Tupelo just tied Ocean Springs 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth before a double play ended it.

FINAL: EW win 4-0.

Christopher Gordon RBI 2B makes it 4-0.

T6

3 up 3 down for Ingomar, still 3-0 EW.

B5

Banks stranded at 3B after his third hit. EW still up 3-0 after 5.

T5

Stewart whifs Michael Martin to leave runners Kyle Heard at third base, still 3-0 EW.

T4

Banks end the inning with a flyout and doubled up Ben Fooshee at first base. Wolverines coming to bat in the fourth, leading 3-0.

B3

Ingomar P Josh Hodges left runners at second and third by striking out Blake Love, still 3-0 EW.

T3

No hits, runs or errors, EW 3-0 still.

B2

Christopher Gordon singeld but was stranded, still 3-0 EW after two.

T2

One left on for Ingomar in the second, still 3-0 EW.

B1

Johnthan Banks 2-RBI single scores two, EW up 3-0 after 1.

T1

EW double play ends top of first, 0-0.

Less than 30 minutes away from first pitch.

FINAL: Sumrall 8 Mooreville 3

Gene Phelps will have the complete story in tomorrow’s Daily Journal, www.djournal.com.

Freshman Luke Lowery pithced a gem, five innings, one hit and strikeouts in Sumrall’s 8-3 Game 1 Class 3A win.

T7

Shane Reeves at bat in Mooreville’s final chance, strikeout, fifth for Lowery, Brantley Whitt at bat, strikeout, Lowery’s sixth, Mitch Lowe at bat, BB, Ben Kingsley at bat, fielder’s choice, game over, Sumrall wins 8-3.

B6

Mooreville starter Franks gave up nine hits in five innings and four earned runs. He threw four wild pitches. Sumrall leads 8-3 after 6.

Austin Knight bunt popout, Hawkins to third on wild pitch, scores on Ethan Applewhite sac, 8-3, two down, Adrian Lee at bat, BB, Jackson Posey flyout.

Jake Hawkins’ double opens inning - ends day for Franks, D.J. Gregory in. Franks gave up nine hits in five innings.

T6

Sumrall P Luke Lowery has allowed only one hit, has four strikeouts, no walks and no earned runs since entering in the third, his team leads 7-3 after 5.5.

Cody Franks strikeout, Kyle Emison flyout, Tyler Moore strikeout, very quick sixth for Sumrall pitcher Lowery. He has four strikeouts, no walks and no earned runs since entering in the third.

B5

Michael McGrew flyout, 7-3 Sumrall after 5.

Luke Lowery at bat, strikeout, two down.

Joe Byrd at bat, Whitfield scores on wild pitch.

Ethan Whitfield reaches on E1, Lee scores, throw to first goes over first base, but Posey out at home, Sumrall up 7-3.

Jackson Posey at bat, RBI fielder’s choice scores Applewhite, 5-3 Sumrall.

Ethan Applewhite doubles to open inning. Add that to an earlier double. Adrian Lee at bat, single, runners at first and third, no outs.

T5

Ben Kingsley single opens inning. Double play, Wheeler at bat, strikeout,, 4-3 Sumrall after 4.5. Freshman Lowery shutting Mooreville down.

B4

Bryn Whitehead flyout, 4-3 Sumrall after 4.

Jake Hawkins’ two-out single to left scores Griffith and McGrew scores on right field throw into the stands, Hawkins to third, 4-3 Sumrall.

McGrew single sends pich runner Dominique Griffith to second.

Chase Lewallen bunt groundout, Joe Byrd flyout, Luke Lowery BB, Michael McGrew single.

T4

Mitch Lowe hits third flyout of the inning, quick one for Lowery, 3-2 Mooreville after 3.5.

Whitt flyout, two down quickly for Troopers.

Taylor Dickerson flyout, one down, Brantley Whitt at bat.

B3

Jackson Posey flyout leaves Whitehead on 3B. 3-2 Mooreville after 3.

Adrian Lee at bat, groundout move Whitehead to 3B.

Ethan Applewhite flyout, Whitehead on 2B, 1 out.

Whitehead to second on wild pitch.

Bryn Whitehead single.

T3

Wheeler out at the plate on attempted double steal, 2-6-2, 3-2 Mooreville after 2.1.

Tyler Moore at bat, RBI sac fly, 3-2 Mooreville.

Emison strikes out with bases loaded, one down.

Cody Franks BB loads bases - Sumrall P Bryn Whitehead replaced by freshman Luke Lowery.

Drew Wheeler BB, runners first and second.

B2

Jake Hawkins grounds into 6-4-3, inning over, two left on, 2-all.

Michael McGrew 1B, Roseberry to 2B.

Jim Roseberry reaches on E5, one out.

T2

Ben Kingsley batting, runner on second, lines out, 2-2 after 1.5.

Wild pitch scores Moore, 2-2.

Mitch Lowe at bat, first and third, one out, struck out.

Brantley Whitt struck out.

Taylor Dickerson hit by pitch, runners at first and third.

Kyle Emison single opens inning. Tyler Moore RBI triple scores Emison, 2-1 Sumrall.

B1

end of 1, 2-0 Sumrall

Jackson Posey at 2B, Ethan Whitefield at the plate.

Wild pitch scored Lee, 2-0.

Back-to-back triples from Ethan Applewhite and Adrian Lee scored Appletwhite, 1-0.

Game 1 State Championship Updates, just underway at Trustmark in Pearl.

Hamilton’s Class 2A state championship opponent Richton is 20 miles east of Hattiesburg. Where they want to be is in the same category as the Lions, who are making their second straight state title appearance and ninth in coach Lewis Earnest’s 14 seasons, this season the first in Class 2A.
“They’ve been to nine state championships,” Richton coach Brandon Davis said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s 1 or 2A. It’s still a state championship. They know how to win. They’re a solid program, basically what we want to be one day. I’m very impressed with what I’ve heard so far.”
The Rebels (24-6) got a taste of what it takes last season, winning the school’s first state title, the same year it won the school’s first playoff game. Davis said he thinks the two teams match up well.
“I think we’re pretty even,” Davis said. “I think we hit the ball decently, but I know they have two very talented young lefties. I saw them pitch last year in the state championship game, but I understand they’ve gotten a lot better.”
Davis referred to Hamilton (23-9) starters sophomore Dylan Earnest (10-1, 1.27) and freshman Chase Reeves (7-2, 1.25), who combined for 26 strikeouts in the North finals sweep of Ackerman. The Lions are 8-0 in these playoffs.

Powerful pitching
Davis’ Rebels will send Jacoby Jones (8-4), Jordan Cochran (10-1) and Chantse Edwards (8-2) to the mound. Tilur Smith and Joel Cochran round out a deep rotation and bullpen. Joel Cochran got the win in 3.2 innings of relief in Friday’s Game 2 South final win against St. Andrews. He pitched only two previous innings before getting the win in the 11-inning affair. Richton won 17-12 after a five-run 11th.
Hamilton’s offense, which has looked as comfortable with two outs as it has with none, will be opposed by one of the state’s best hitters. Davis said his team’s key has been the performance from the bottom of his lineup and consistent pitching. One hitter’s numbers stand out above the stat sheet though.
Edwards’ 14 home runs are atop the state’s figures. He’s hitting .561 and was 4-for-5 with 3 home runs, 7 RBIs and 5 runs scored in the South final win.
Hamilton is 199 miles north of Hattiesburg, but both teams will meet 88 miles from there to determine a champion.
“I know there’s good baseball up there,” Davis said of Hamilton’s 2-2A region. “That district is loaded.”

Update: Times have changed again. Hamilton’s Game 1 against Richton has been moved to Saturday at 1, instead of Friday at 7. Game 2 is still Monday at 4.
Mooreville is back to Friday at 7.

More times later this afternoon. Gotta get out of the office right now.

Pioneer Athletics has announced that Hamilton’s Jimmie Moore Field has been selected as a winner of the 2007 Field of Excellence Award.

“It feels really good to be recognized because a lot of hard work goes into field maintenance and I don’t think some people realize just what all is involved in taking care of athletic fields,” Hamilton head football coach Ray Weeks said.

The school will receive a certificate of recognition and a Field of Excellence banner. One of their salesmen told Weeks about the program and after submitting photos, including an aerial shot of the painted field in January, the award was announced on Mar. 5.

“We were fortunate enough to have someone with an airplane in the community and an aerial photo,” Weeks said. “I’m pretty proud of it.”

Weeks handles much of the maintenance and field work, from spraying to deciding when to spray. Most of the coaches have mowing duties, as the process goes on every other day.

“We have a field maintenance schedule we follow,” Weeks said, “when to spray, what to spray, how often we water, when to cut. It’s pretty involved if you want to have a nice field.”

Hamilton was the only Mississippi field selected.

“We’re fortunate here that we have an administration that allows us to purchase what we need in order to have nice fields,” Weeks said. “We’re fortunate enough to have the mowers you need. You can do all the maintenance you want, but if you don’t have the mowers you need, it’s not going to make a difference. It goes hand in hand with this award.

The Field of Excellence Award Program honors outstanding athletic fields and the hardworking field crews who diligently maintain them. The program has honored more than 275 fields since being established in 1998.

Colleges, universities, high schools and parks and recreation departments from all over the United States submitted photographs, letters of recommendations and application forms describing their institutions detailed athletic field maintenance program. A rigorous judging process yielded 22 winners from a large pool of applicants, with one athletic field randomly selected as a Scholarship winner.

“Other coaches comment on the playing surface and the overall stadium,” Weeks said. “I think it’s tremendous for not only 2A, but for 3A and 4A too. It makes you feel good when your peers recognize you’re doing something well.”

Here are a couple of things to ponder (or fear) about Hamilton’s North State championship run, clinched tonight with a 7-1 win against visiting Ackerman.

• The Lions have yet to lose a playoff series, sweeping through eight games.

• Dylan Earnest and Chase Reeves combined for 26 strikeouts in the North State series sweep of Ackerman. Reeves whiffed 15 tonight. To make things worse for opponents, both are lefties.

• They’re hitting. The Lions went through a hitting lull, but are now putting th eball where it needs to be. They had only four tonight, but a Kevin McCartney double and a Cole Johnson triple were two of those, both for RBIs. The potentially dangerous lineup is solid from top to bottom, especially with the speed of Isaac Winders and McCartney and the power of Reeves and lone senior Travis Frembgen.
Update: Hamilton wins 7-1. Class 2A North champs

Hamilton leads 5-1 in the top of the seventh.

I’ll update Hamilton and Ackerman’s Class 2A North final as soon as I get back in the press box around the fourth or fifth inning.

Chase Reeves (6-2) is starting for Hamilton. Ackerman is throwing freshman Nick Morrow in the freshman vs freshman matchup.
For the complete story, see Saturday’s Daily Journal and Wednesday’s Monroe Journal.

The Hamilton/Ackerman Class 2A North final Game 1 can be heard on 95.7 FM.

Update: Hamilton wins 9-1. Game 2 in Hamilton tomorrow at 7.

Update: At the end of 6 1/2, Hamilton 9 Ackerman 1

Isaac Winders just scored when Kevin McCartney avoided a hangup trying to steal second base.

Hamilton leads Ackerman 8-1 in the top of the seventh inning in Ackerman. The Lions got four straight two-out RBI singles in the sixth. Dylan Earnest has been dominant for Hamilton. 

Earnest, trying to improve to 10-1, got out of the fourth with a bases loaded strikeout. The whif followed a line drive snagged by shortstop Isaac Winders with two on.

With two on and one out in the fifth, Earnest got another strikeout and a groundout to Parker Rye.

Hamilton’s lineup looks different from usual. Graham Pritchett is in right and Parker Rye is at second base. Skylar Conwill is the DH.