Friday sports: Tigers win, Mustangs fall in North Half action
Lady Tigers softball uses an extra inning to sweep DeSoto Central and head to the state 7A final series.
Photo: Congratulations are passed around following a Houston Green homer for Center Hill Friday night against Warren Central. (Bob Bakken/desotocountynews.com)
WARREN CENTRAL 7, CENTER HILL 3: The Center Hill baseball Mustangs dropped the opener of the 6A baseball North Half finals to Warren Central Friday night 7-3 at Center Hill. The Mustangs trail the Vikings 1-0 in the best-of-three playoff series with game two set for Saturday night at 7 p.m. in Vicksburg.
The big hit of the night for Center Hill was Houston Green’s two-run homer to left in the Mustangs’ first inning, a hit that was followed by a sacrifice fly by Cooper McCool later in the inning that scored Kyle Erwin.
But the hits were few and far between for coach Peyton Callahan’s Mustangs, which could only collect three hits against winning pitcher Connor Watkins, who walked four and struck out three in the complete-game win.
After Center Hill took the 3-2 lead through one inning, Warren Central broke the game open with five runs in the second inning and the offense then fell asleep from both sides the rest of the night, as no further runs found it way to home plate.
Watkins handcuffed the Mustangs pretty much the entire contest, and McCool stepped into the game in relief of starter Mac Atkins and put the same hex on the Vikings’ hitters.
“McCool came in and played great,” Callahan said. “It was a tough night for Mac (Atkins), getting behind in the count and when you do that as a pitcher, it’s tough to be successful.”
Atkins walked seven and struck out one before he left the game with no one out in the fourth. McCool was credited with four innings pitched, allowed just one hit, walked two and struck out four.
“We couldn’t get on base and couldn’t hit,” Callahan said. “We got behind in counts, got behind early in the game and really didn’t have an answer to work ourselves offensively to get back in the game.”
HERNANDO 2, OXFORD 1: Hernando opened the 7A North Half final series with a low-scoring, come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Region 1-7A rival Oxford Friday night in Hernando. The Tigers take a 1-0 series lead over the Chargers as the series shifts to Oxford for game two Saturday night at 7 p.m.
Hernando won the game with only two hits against Oxford pitching standout Brady Stinnett, the two coming in the bottom of the sixth inning when the Tigers scored both runs. The hits were a base hit by Hallas Lawson that scored Coen McKnight, and a Topher Jones triple that scored Lawson with the winning run. Oxford followed in the seventh with a double followed by three straight outs to end the contest. The Chargers had taken a 1-0 lead early in the second inning.
Thomas Mitchell and Jones combined on the mound for the victory. Mitchell threw for six innings, posting 13 strikeouts and two walks. Jones pitched the seventh and struck out two.
PREP BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
MHSAA 6A baseball North Half finals – best of three
- Warren Central 7, Center Hill 2 (Warren Central leads 1-0)
- Center Hill at Warren Central – 7 p.m. Saturday
- Warren Central at Center Hill – 7 p.m. Monday (if needed)
MHSAA 7A baseball North Half finals – best of three
- Hernando 2, Oxford 1 (Hernando leads 1-0)
- Hernando at Oxford – 7 p.m. Saturday
- Oxford at Hernando – 7 p.m. Monday (if needed)
TSSAA D2-A state baseball playoffs – sub-state round
- Providence Academy/TBD winner at Northpoint Christian – TBD
PREP SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS
HERNANDO 3, DESOTO CENTRAL 2 (8 INNINGS): Hernando claimed the 7A North Half softball title with a 3-2 victory over DeSoto Central in eight innings Friday night at DeSoto Central. The game, and series-clinching run came in the top of the eighth on a ground ball out to third from Kaitlyn Gentry that scored Hayden Hodge. Hernando had taken a 2-0 lead in the second inning, but the Lady Jags answered with a pair of runs in the fourth to tie the contest.
Madison York had three hits for the Lady Tigers and Bertlee Barrett’s base hit to center scored York and Jayla Sites in the second.
Olivia Skinner struck out five and walked two in eight innings pitching in the circle. Skinner gave up two runs on five hits.
Londen Armstrong had two of the Lady Jags five hits in the loss and Kaylee Tucker drove in both runs with a single to left field.
Colby Young took the loss in the circle with six hits, two strikeouts and one walk in eight innings.
The Lady Tigers will play in the 7A state championship series against Northwest Rankin, which won the South Half crown with an 18-2 victory over Ocean Springs on Friday, after a 10-2 victory to open their series on Thursday. Game one of the final series at Southern Miss will come on Wednesday night, May 15 at 6:45 p.m.
Here is the final play of Friday’s championship victory for Hernando:
MHSAA 7A softball North Half playoffs – best of three
- Hernando 10, DeSoto Central 2
- Hernando 3, DeSoto Central 2 – (Hernando wins 2-0)
PREP BOYS SOCCER PLAYOFFS
TSSAA D2-A West Region boys’ soccer playoffs
- Northpoint Christian 9, Harding Academy 0
- Northpoint Christian 8, Westminster Academy 2
- Lausanne Collegiate 3, Northpoint Christian 1 (championship)
- Northpoint Christian vs. TBD (state playoffs)
SPORTS ETC.: Jermaine Hewitt of Center Hill Friday signed to play football at Hinds Community College.
