By Brad Greer

Unlike football, it does not take a baseball team one week to rebound from a loss.

After dropping an 11-1 season-opening loss to Desoto Central Friday night, the South Panola Tigers took their frustrations out on visiting Charleston to the tune of a 28-0 romp  in the “Wes Smythe” Classic Saturday afternoon at Tiger Park.

South Panola (1-1) plated 10 runs in the bottom of the first inning then batted around three times in the batting order the following inning, scoring 18 runs on 11 hits to take a commanding lead. The contest was called after three innings of play. South Panola pounded out 17 hits in the game as 12 Tiger batters collected at least one hit in the game.

Senior right-hander Lee Self retired all six batters he faced in two innings of work to pick up the pitching win. Hunter Durham closed out the game by pitching the third inning. Neither Self or Durham allowed a hit in the contest.

Leadoff hitter Chris Townsend got things started for South Panola in the first with a single followed by a Mitchel Babb stand up triple. After Self singled and later scored on a wild pitch, Andrew Horne and Bobby Epps reached on a pair of walks. DaShaun Lindsey then drilled a triple into right-center to drive home Horne and Epps to make the score 5-0 before an out was recorded.

The inning continued as Blake Darby and J. W. Willis reached on a walk and an error. One batter later, Townsend slapped a double into center field to plate Darby and Willis. Townsend then scored on Babb’s RBI single.

South Panola put away the game in the second by sending 24 batters to the plate. Willis led off the inning with a double while Tays Hardy added an RBI single.

Sophomore Matt Jones delivered the big hit of the inning with a pinch-hit three run double. Durham and Preston Blair added doubles in the frame while Will Daughtery added a pair of singles. Horne, Lindsey and Chance Whitten recorded singles.

The Tigers will travel to Grenada today at 4 p.m. with the junior varsity contest followed by the varsity at 6.