By Brad Greer

The 2011 high school baseball season has not been kind to the Olive Branch Conquistadors.

Heading into Saturday’s non-district matchup against South Panola, the ‘Quistors had dropped 10 of their last 11 games and were looking for a spark that could turn their season around.

That opportunity came as the visitors received a solid pitching performance from Kevin Waldrop and Nathan Van Nortwick as the Conquistadors held off a late South Panola charge to a take a 4-3 victory.

Olive Branch (4-10) scored one run in each of the first four innings off Tiger starting pitcher Hunter Durham to take a 4-0 lead. Van Nortwick, who started the game at shortstop, led off the contest with a single and later scored on a sacrifice fly by John Pittman. One inning later, Malik Mayweather, David Koth and Zack Selvern strung together three straight two-out singles to increase the lead to 2-0.

The Conquistadors picked up an unearned run over the next two innings on three South Panola errors to push the lead to 4-0. Waldrop meanwhile kept the No. 12 rated Tigers at bay as the right-hander retired the first 11 of 12 batters he faced with the only hit coming on Durham’s infield single in the third inning.

South Panola scored all of its runs in the bottom of the fifth as cleanup hitter Andrew Horne led off the inning with a single. Waldrop then walked Bobby Epps before Taylor Meek slapped a single into right field to load the bases with no outs.

Van Nortwick then entered the game and promptly walked Durham to force in a run. Pinch runner Tays Hardy then scored as Olive Branch second baseman Bradley Swede dropped Blake Darby’s popup to cut the ‘Quistor lead 4-2.

After Van Nortwick retired Will Dickins for the first out, Meek scored on Chris Townsend’s RBI fielders’ choice for the final run of the game.

The Tigers’ last chance for victory came in the bottom of the seventh as Hardy led off the inning with a single but was stranded there as Van Nortwick sat down the next three batters to end the game

South Panola (11-5), was held to four hits as Horne, Durham, Hardy and Meek all collected singles. Durham (2-1) suffered his first loss of the year on the mound as the sophomore gave up all four runs (two earned) on six hits while striking out six in six innings of work. Mitchel Babb worked a scoreless seventh inning by recording two strikeouts.

The Tigers rebounded from the loss in the second game of the day by pounding Rosa Fort 17-2 in three innings. South Panola plated four runs in the first and second innings before exploding for nine runs in the third to end the game.

Senior Colby Gammill picked up his first win of the season by tossing two innings while giving up one earned run on four hits. The senior right-hander fanned four and walked one batter. Will Daughtery fanned two and walked two in one inning of work.

Hardy led the Tigers at the plate with three singles, driving in four runs. Horne added a pair of doubles and a single as South Panola rapped out 10 hits in the game. Lee Self added a double while Meek, Darby and Dickins all singled.

South Panola evened its District 2-6A record up at 2-2 on the season with a 14-2 romp over Columbus Friday night. The Tigers hammered Falcon pitching for 17 hits on the night. Townsend, Babb, Horne and Meek all registered three hits while Epps added a double and single. DaShawn Lindsey tripled while Durham added a pinch-hit double in the seventh inning.

Self (3-1) picked up with win, striking out nine batters while giving up five hits over 6.1 innings.

Due to a wet field, South Panola (12-5) hosts Starkville Wednesday night a 4 and 6 p.m.