Local teams strike out on opening day

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June 25, 2009

By Rocky Higginbotham / Sports Editor The Meridian Star Thu Jun 25, 2009, 10:41 PM CDT

It was a tough first day of action for the local teams in the 17th Annual State Games of Mississippi all-star baseball competition at Meridian Community College.

District Five, which includes eight players from The Meridian Star’s coverage area, opened the day by falling in a 13-9 slugfest to District One. District Four, which includes a pair of Neshoba Central standouts, was then blanked 11-0 in a four-and-a-half inning contest.

The two area squads will tangle at 10 a.m. today in an elimination game at MCC’s Scaggs Field; while Districts One and Eight will meet at 4 this afternoon in a winner’s bracket game.

The eight-team, College World Series-format event ends Sunday.

District One 13

District Five 9

Chase Reeves ripped a three-run home run to spark a six-run rally in the first inning, and District One never trailed.

District Five got within 6-3 after two frames; within 9-6 after three innings; and within 10-7 after four.

Clarkdale’s Hunter Graham started and was charged with the loss, giving up six runs — four of them earned. He gave way on the mound to Cory Bass of Northeast Lauderdale and Zac Ferguson.

The District Five team also includes the Meridian High duo of Michael Sterling and Jacoby Robinson, Northeast’s Cameron Buford, Clarkdale’s Kasey Hinton, West Lauderdale’s Dustin James and Demarcus Henderson of Wayne County.

Henderson doubled and tripled in Thursday’s loss, while Sterling led the team with three hits — one of them a double. Vito Perna had two singles and Tre Keyes a double.

In addition to the three-run homer, Reeves also got the win on the mound for District One. He went three innings and gave up six runs before Cole Morse and Kyle Stephenson finished in relief.

Blake Littlejohn had a solo homer and a single and Brandon Woodruff added two doubles, a single and two RBIs for District One.

Tanner Gaines also had three hits including a double in the win, while Morse and Drew Cristo both had doubles.

District Eight 11

District Four 0

Luke Lowery of unbeaten and Class 3A state champion Sumrall threw a five-inning, two-hit shutout to lift District Eight to a rout-shortened win.

The only hits for District Four were a single from Phillip Tice in the third inning and a pinch-hit single from Nicholas Durrah in the fourth.

Mitchell Wooten started and took the loss, giving up seven runs — just two of them earned — in 3.1 innings.

Lowery fanned nine and hit one in his five-inning stint.

Offensively, District Eight got a two-run double from Austin Knight that capped a six-run rally in the bottom of the fourth inning. Jackson Posey added a single, double and two RBIs.

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