By Brad Greer

The South Panola baseball team opened their 2012 season with mixed results by splitting a pair of games in Kosciusko Saturday.

The Tigers defeated Louisville 11-6 before falling to a tough Kosciusko squad 6-1 in the nightcap. South Panola (1-1) hosted Desoto Central  in the ‘Wes Smythe Classic’ last night and will entertain Cleveland Friday night starting at 5 p.m. with the junior varsity followed at 7 by varsity action.

Tays Hardy recorded three hits and drove in a pair of runs to help guide the Tigers to victory over Louisville in the first game. The junior first baseman registered a RBI single in a four-run first inning then later drilled a two-out triple in the third to drive in a run. Hardy then singled and scored in the fifth as part of a three-run fifth inning by the Tigers.

South Panola took advantage of three walks and an error in the first inning to take a 4-0 lead. Chris Townsend led off the game by getting hit by a pitch. Dashawn Lindsay followed with a walk before Andrew Horne advanced both runners one base with a sacrifice bunt. Townsend and Lindsay would later get  the Tigers on the board by scoring on a pair of wild pitches. Hardy later added an infield single that brought home courtesy runner Matt Jones before Taylor Meek, who had reached on a walk and stolen second, scored on a throwing error by the second baseman.

Louisville got on the board in the bottom half of the inning off Tiger starting pitcher Chance Whitten as Wyatt Roberts scored on Ross Barnett’s two-out RBI single. The Wildcats closed the margin to 4-3 in the bottom of the second with a pair of unearned runs.

 South Panola picked up a run in the top of the third as Bobby Epps reached on a single. Two batters later, Hardy laced a triple to center that plated courtesy runner Landon Fullilove from second.

The Tigers would extend their lead to 6-3 in the fourth as No. 9 hole hitter Will Dickins blasted his first career homerun over the left field wall. South Panola added three more additional runs in the fifth for a 9-3 lead.

Epps led off the frame getting hit by a pitch before Hardy singled and Blake Darby was also hit to load the bases with one out. After Dickins drew a walk to force in Fullilove, Townsend popped out to record the second out.

Lindsay kept the inning alive by walking to force in courtesy runner Houston Boothe.

Louisville (1-1) added three runs on three errors in the bottom of the fifth before the Tigers pushed across two runs on three walks in the seventh to close out scoring.

Both teams collected five hits and committed four errors each. South Panola left 12 runners on base while Louisville stranded three. Whitten picked up the win on the mound by giving up four hits on three runs over four innings while striking out four and walking two. Hardy gave up three runs (two earned) on one hit and one walk in one inning of work. Meek closed out the last two innings by retiring all six batters he faced.

Kosciusko  6, S. Panola 1

In the nightcap, the host Whippets plated three runs in the second and sixth innings to come away with the victory. Ethan Porter pitched six strong innings to earn the win on the hill for Kosciusko who improved to 2-0 on the young season.

South Panola plated its lone run in the top of the third on back-to-back doubles from Lindsay and Horne. The Tigers out-hit the Whippets 5-4 in the game as Lindsay registered a double and single. Townsend and Hardy added singles.

Rip Kirk (0-1) took the loss on the mound as the sophomore surrendered three runs on three hits while walking one and striking out one in 1.2 innings. Darby followed by giving up one hit and three runs in 3.2 innings of solid relief work. Horne finished the game by retiring the only batter he faced.