Photo: Northpoint pitcher Ty Waller struck out nine in 5.2 innings of pitching against Memphis Central Friday night. (Bob Bakken/desotocountynews.com)
Northpoint Christian used a seven-run sixth inning to clinch a 12-3 high school baseball regular season victory over Memphis Central Friday night at Northpoint. The win improved the Trojans’ record to 21-8-1 with one game left before the West Region tournament starts Wednesday at Northpoint.
The visiting Warriors did not go away easily against the Trojans as Central took a 1-0 lead in the first. Northpoint answered with a pair of runs in the first off a KL Farr triple and a Vail Perkins double.
Central responded with another run in the second to knot the contest up at 2-2, but again the Trojans responded, this time with a three-spot in the inning for a 5-2 lead. All three runs came with two out, with pinch runner Harrison Brown scoring on a sacrifice fly and Jayden Parker and Nolan Bone scoring on a throwing error by the Central pitcher.
The Warriors would score one more in the third inning to get within 5-3 before the game became a defensive battle until the Trojans broke the game open with seven runs in the sixth. An eighth run would have ended the game with the 10-run rule in the sixth inning, but Central earned an at bat in the seventh. Casey Wheeler came into the game in relief of starting pitcher Ty Waller late in the sixth and pitched the seventh to close out the contest.
“Ty Waller pitched great tonight, a senior who’s got some innings in but this is the longest he’s thrown this year,” Northpoint coach Stephen Kirkpatrick said.
Northpoint is the number one seed in the upcoming West Region tournament, which will start for the Trojans Wednesday at home before transitioning to Tony Gagliano Field in Memphis. Kirkpatrick said the winner Fayette Academy-Trinity Christian game Monday will be his team’s opponent for the first round of the double-elimination tournament.
SCOREBOARD
Friday, April 25
Prep baseball playoffs
MHSAA 6A first round (best of three- game one)
Warren Central 11, Center Hill 1 (6 innings)
Center Hill: Grayson Doss-2 hits, JaMaryon Warren-double, triple. Mac Atkins-5 IP, 9 runs, 9 hits, 6 strikeouts.
The Arizona Cardinals went with a former Olive Branch Conquistador for a first-round choice on Thursday evening. Ole Miss defensive end Walter Nolen was chosen in Thursday’s initial round of the draft as the 16th overall pick. Nolen played his freshman and sophomore seasons with the Quistors, then transferred for one year at St. Benedict at Auburndale in Cordova, followed by his senior season at Powell, Tennessee High School.
Center Hill soccer player Avery Taylor Friday signed to play next season at East Central Community College.
Congratulations to Avery Taylor…signing today to further her education and play soccer at East Central Community College! #RespectTheHill⚽️ pic.twitter.com/XJmdEbj0n1
Hernando softball announced on social media that it has set a program record for double plays this season at 20, two more than the previous record of 18 last year. Hernando, which swept out Tupelo in the first round of the MHSAA 7A playoffs this week, awaits the winner of the Lewisburg-Germantown (Madison) series in the second round.
