By Brad Greer
South Panola found themselves with their backs against the wall heading into Thursday’s Region 2 -6A contest versus Tupelo. Sitting in last place in the district standings, the Tigers had to win the remaining three district games in order to make the playoffs.

Tupelo however would have no part of that as the Golden Wave swept the three game  series from Tigers with a 7-3 victory thus eliminating South Panola from post season play for the first time since 2007.

Michael Ray and William Ikerd paced Tupelo (15-4; 5-2) at the plate with a pair of singles and two runs scored. Carter Clayton went the distance on the mound by giving up eight hits while striking out two batters and one walk. Austin Towles went 6.2 innings while taking the loss. The senior righty surrendered seven runs (five earned) on 11 hits while fanning seven and issuing one walk. Macen McGee finished the game by striking out the only batter he faced in the seventh inning.

Tupelo wasted little time getting on the board as Ray delivered a two-run single in the first that plated Hudson Roy and Clayton. Two batters later, Ikerd lofted a deep sacrifice fly to center that scored Ray.

The Golden Wave extended its lead to 4-0 in the fourth as Walter Goss reached on a two-out error then later scored on Roy’s infield single. South Panola scored all of its runs in the bottom of the frame as Adam Cook led off with a single before Jessie Pearson roped a double into right to put runners on second and third.

Morgan Tubbs continued the rally with a single up the middle to score Cook. After Hunter Ivy grounded out to advance runners to second and third again, Clayton hit Carter Avan to load the bases. Pearson then scored the second Tiger run on a Clayton balk before Landon Fullilove’s sacrifice fly allowed Tubbs to score. South Panola would later put runners on second and third with one out in the sixth only to have Avan line out into an inning-ending double play to end the threat.

Tupelo proceeded to add two runs in the fifth and one in the seventh to put the game out of reach.

Mason Wilkerson and Ivy paced the Tigers offensively with two singles while Fullilove, Cook and Tubbs singled.

Hernando- 4 SP-2 (Friday)

Bunting has at times been a lost art, but Hernando put on a clinic just how it is done in a crucial situation as the host Tigers scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to rally past visiting South Panola in a Region 2- 6A tilt.

Trailing 2-1 in the sixth, Will Craft, Dalton Smith and Reese Lara laid down three consecutive squeeze bunts to produce three runs that ultimately proved to the difference maker as the Tigers moved into a first place tie with Tupelo at 5-2 in the district standings.

Caleb Wilke got the rally started with a leadoff single before Aaron Smith coaxed a walk from South Panola starting pitcher Hunter Ivy. Both runners then advanced one base on a wild pitch before Ivy stuck out Keith Septer for one out.

Timothy Rowe was then intentionally walked to load the bases before Craft laid down the first squeeze bunt that scored Wilke with the tying run. Smith and Lara then proceed to lay down perfectly placed bunts down the third base line to plate the go ahead runs.

Hernando reliever Wyatt Bailey closed out the win by striking out the side in the seventh to pick up the win. The sophomore right-hander fanned five of the seven batters he faced over the final two innings of work. Rowe went five innings on the hill for Hernando before giving way to Bailey.
South Panola (10-10; 1-7) took a early 1-0 lead in the first as Gage Aldison scored on Adam Cook’s two-out single. The lead did not last long however as Rowe tied the game in the bottom of the first with a solo home run to left field.

Rowe retired ten batters in a row before walking Morgan Tubbs to start the fifth inning. After a Ivy sacrifice bunt moved Tubbs to second, Carter Avan drilled a run-producing double into the right field gap to give South Panola a 2-1 lead.

Ivy took the tough luck loss by going the distance for South Panola. The Northeast Community College signee gave up six hits and struck out nine while walking three batters. The Tigers were limited to three hits on the night with Landon Fullilove providing a single to lead off the game.