By Brad Greer

After cancellations of their first two games, Batesville Junior High finally got the 2012 baseball season underway Monday afternoon hosting Lafayette County in a doubleheader.

The Commodores scored five runs in the first inning before Batesville rallied to take a 5-5 tie after four innings  in the opening game. Batesville earned the split of the twinbill with a 3-2 victory the second game. Both games were called after the regularly scheduled time limit expired.

Batesville responded with three runs in the bottom of the first after Lafayette plated five runs in the top half of the inning. Jacob Fennel led off with a single before scoring on a Trey McGovern fielders’ choice. Chris Casiday reached on an error to put runners on first and third with one out. Turner Rotenberry’s RBI ground out drove in McGovern for the Tigers second run before Casiday raced home on a wild pitch to close the margin to 5-3.

The Tigers put runners on the corners with two outs in the bottom of the second but could not get a run across as Joby Ellington, who had earlier walked, was thrown out at second to end the inning. Braiden Scott led off the inning with a double.

Batesville closed the margin to 5-4 in the third  as Casiday reached on a hit-by-pitch. Courtesy runner McGovern advanced to second on a wild pitch, stole third, then raced home on yet another wild pitch. The Tigers knotted the score in the fourth as Vas Moore reached on a one-out error then later scored on Ellington’s infield single.

McGovern gave up five runs (one earned) on four hits in two innings of work on the mound. Hunter Bryant struck out five and walked one batter in two innings of relief.

Batesville trailed 2-1 in the third inning of the nightcap before scoring a pair of runs after two outs to earn the victory.

Eli Wilson reached on a single to left before leadoff hitter Blake Miller drilled a double that scored Wilson to tie the game. After Miller advanced to third on a wild pitch, Tripp Still’s ground ball to the Commodore shortstop sailed wide at first base that allowed Miller to cross home plate with the winning run.

The Tigers tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first on a Demetrius Market sacifice pop up that scored Bryant from third.

Miller tossed two innings on the hill, surrendering two runs on two hits while fanning six batters. Still picked up the win in relief by striking out the side in the third.

Batesville hosted Water Valley last night and will resume play after Spring Break by traveling to Marshall Academy on March 19 before returning home to square off against Grenada March 22.