COLLINSVILLE — All Carter Horton needed was one big inning.

 

Horton tossed a complete game no-hitter with 10 strikeouts as West Lauderdale shutout Itawamba Agricultural High School 4-0 in Game 1 of their MHSAA Class 4A Third Round baseball playoff series Saturday night at Jerry Boatner Field.

 

“It was a great pitcher’s dual, and Carter Horton pitched amazing,” said West Lauderdale coach Jason Smith. “I couldn’t be more prouder of him.”

 

All the scoring for West Lauderdale (25-3) came in the bottom of the sixth. After two West Lauderdale hitters reached on back-to-back errors Xavier Thompson delivered a three-run home run to right center to give the Knights a 3-0 lead.

 

Horton helped himself out with an RBI single to center to extend the West Lauderdale lead to 4-0.

 

Horton, a Meridian Community College signee, improved to 9-0 on the mound. He lost the perfect game in the top of the seventh as John Austin Wood reached base on an error.

 

This was Horton’s second no-hitter of the season and his third no-hitter of his career. He no-hit Newton County back on April 8 and last season he threw a no-hitter against Northeast Lauderdale.

 

“I was just trying to locate my pitches tonight and not give them anything over the plate,” Horton said. “Did a good job of mixing it up really well tonight with my change up and curve ball. They have a powerful offense and they’re pretty intimidating, but I did a good job of locating. It was great with Xavier Thompson getting that big hit. Now we can close out the series.”

 

Kayden Peoples had two hits to lead West Lauderdale offensively.

 

“Outstanding high school game. We were fortunate in the bottom of the sixth,” Smith said. “Guys kept battling at the plate giving us chances and Xavier came up with a big hit.”

 

Cayden Prestage (8-2) took the loss on the mound for Itawamba AHS. The Indians fell to 25-9.

 

“Their guy came out dealing tonight,” Itawamba AHS coach Steve Kerr said. “We haven’t been no-hit if ever. He was in a zone and was working fast. What we’ve done in the past down here we did it again. Made a couple errors and they capitalized with a big hit.”