By Brad Greer
The South Panola baseball team opened their Summer league season on positive note by sweeping a double header from Water Valley 6-0 and 10-0 Tuesday.

Tiger pitching was dominated as they limited the Blue Devils to one hit in each game. Ryan McCurdy got the starting nod and went two innings in the first game allowing no hits while walking three and striking out two batters. Anderson Wilder followed with two innings of relief and fanned two of the four batters faced. Tripp Still gave up the lone hit in the fifth but struck out a batter.

 Having escaped a bases loaded one out jam in the top of the first, South Panola capitalized on a fielding error in the bottom half of the frame to grab a 2-0 lead. Noah Willis led off the frame with a single followed by a nDalton Barefoot walk. Two batters later, Still reached on a error that allowed both runners to score.

The Tigers added a single run in the third as Barefoot left off with a single and later scored on a Chris Brown RBI groundout.  South Panola tacked on three runs in the fourth off two Water Valley miscues and a walk.

South Panola 10
Water Valley 0 (three inns.)
 The Tigers made quick work of the scheduled five-inning contest by sending 11 batters to the plate in a six-run first inning. South Panola registered eight hits in two turns at the plate as Blaine Ware singled and doubled while scoring two runs.

Luke Weldon, Brayden Locke and Ryan McCurdy all drove in runs with singles while Braydyn Lee accounted for two RBI’s on groundouts. Dalton Barefoot garnered an RBI double in the first to chase home Noah Willis who doubled to lead off the game. Ghrig Griffin chipped in with a single and James Kyle Browning added a sacrifice RBI in the first.

Chris Brown fanned four batters and allowed one hit in two innings on the hill before Nathan Herron finished out the game with two strikeouts in the third.

South Panola hosts the State games of Mississippi Tuesday through Saturday. The Tigers open play Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. against Lafayette County before facing Center Hill Thursday at 3 p.m. and Olive Branch Friday also at 3 p.m. Pool play and the championship game will be held Saturday.