By Myra Bean

The baseball playoff picture got a little bit muddier as the South Panola Tigers defeated Starkville (18-6, 6-3) 15-5 in five innings in a district matchup Tuesday night.

Much was made about this game as South Panola defeated Starkville in the team’s first meeting 4-3 and Starkville repaid the favor with a 6-2 win last week. Starkville defeated Tupelo two times this season and Tupelo has defeated South Panola two times this season.

Sophomore righthander Mitchel Babb got the win on the mound, pitching 4.1 innings. He struck out eight Starkville batters, walked two and gave up two hits and one unearned run.

Starkville was down 15-0 after Tiger leadoff batter David Renfroe hit a grand slam over the left field fence in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Starkville was scratching its head trying to figure out a way to get something going. In the top of the fifth the answer came as Babb gave up a hit to Dawkins who singled to left field.

Cody Berryhill, subbing for Cameron Cobb, walked as did Zach Schurch to load the bases. Leadoff hitter Chuck Tillery was hit by a pitch to plate Dawkins for the first run.

Submarine righty Whit Whitten replaced Babb on the mound and Jayson Keel hit a two RBI double plating Berryhill and Schurch. Wesley Montgomery subbed for Daniel Forde who walked. Bryan Koenig singled.

Ole Miss signee Renfroe took the mound for South Panola and with two outs and two strikes, starting Yellowjacket pitcher R.C. Johnson hit a one RBI double to score Forde while Koenig got to third.

On his second time at bat Dawkins struck out to close the game.

Johnson did not have a good outing on the mound as he took the loss. He pitched 1.1 innings and was relieved by Colin Olsen in the second.

Johnson struck out one, gave up five hits, hit three batters, walked four, and gave up seven runs, three earned.

Olsen had two strike outs, gave up eight runs, six hits, one walk and hit two players.

The South Panola Tigers had a good time at the plate getting 11 hits. Renfroe started the hitting melee with a single and scored on a Matt Hendrix single RBI (run batted in). With the bases loaded with Corbin Moore, Whit Whitten, both hit by pitches, and Hendrix, Joseph Blair was hit by a pitch and plated Moore.

Coty Bryant walked to drive home Whitten.Babb hit a two RBI single driving home Hendrix and Blair. The final run of the first inning was a single RBI by Dane Broome to drive home Babb.

The Tigers scored five runs in the second inning and four in the fourth inning.

Hitting for the Tigers were Renfroe, 3-for-4, HR, 6 RBIs, 1B; Ethan Bright, 1-for-4; Whitten, 1-for-4; Hendrix, 1-for-3, 1RBI; Blair, 1-for-3, 1RBI; 1-for-3, 3 RBIs; Babb, 2-for-3, 2 RBIs; and Broome, 1-for-3, 1 RBI.

The junior varsity Tigers lost 7-6.

South Panola hosted Tupelo who has won District 5-2Ain the final district game of the season after presstime Thursday.

If South Panola defeats Tupelo, South Panola will place second in the district and host Greenville-Weston in the first game of the playoffs. Subsequent games will be played at Southaven.

If South Panola loses to Tupelo, they will be third in the district and will play at Warren Central next Thursday. The rest of the first round will be played at Madison Central.

South Panola is scheduled to host Southaven tonight, but that game has been canceled.

South Panola will travel to Clinton for the final game of the regular season. The jr. varsity will play at 2 p.m., followed by the varsity at 4 p.m.