MHSAA 3A Baseball Playoffs Roundup: Amory clinches final spot in state semifinals
The third round of the MHSAA 3A Baseball Playoffs wrapped up Saturday night, with Amory grabbing the final spot in the North State Championship against Booneville.
The South was settled Friday night, when Clarkdale and Magee wrapped up series sweeps over West Marion and Southeast Lauderdale to advance to the South State Finals, which begin Thursday.
Here's a look at how those third-round matchups played out over the weekend.
North
Amory def. Nettleton, 2-1
Game One - Nettleton 12, Amory 1
Nettleton ambushed Amory in the series opener with a 12-1 win over in five innings Thursday night on the road.
Drew Humble homered and drove in three runs, and Adam Adkins went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Carter Crawley scored three times.
Davis Oswalt went five innings to get the win. He gave up just one run on one hit and two walks with six strikeouts.
Game Two - Amory 12, Nettleton 6
The Panthers responded in Game Two with a 12-6 win Friday at Amory.
The lineup hit top-to-bottom and pounded out 11 hits. Six different Panthers drove in runs, led by Hunter Jones, who went 3-for-3 with two walks, two RBIs and scored three runs.
Tyler Sledge got the win, giving up four runs on five hits and three walks with 11 strikeouts in the complete-game effort.
Game Three - Amory 7, Nettleton 4
Amory kept the offense rolling Saturday in a 7-4 win to clinch the series at Nettleton.
The Panthers tallied 11 more hits, with Clayton Reese, Bo Rock, Ethan Kimbrough and Will McComb each recording multiple hits. McComb and Rock both homered.
Bryce Glenn got the win in relief. He worked the final four innings, striking out seven and allowing just one hit.
Booneville def. Kossuth, 2-0
Game One - Booneville 7, Kossuth 5
Booneville scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and hung on for a 7-5 win in the series-opener Thursday night at home.
Jackson McCoy went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and Bryce Lindsey doubled and drove in a pair of runs to pace the Blue Devil offense.
Hayden Donahue picked up the win, going the distance and allowing three earned runs on eight hits and a walk with six strikeouts.
Game Two - Booneville 5, Kossuth 3
Booneville broke a 3-3 tie with two runs in the sixth inning to clinch the series Friday at Kossuth.
Hayden Donahue doubled and came around to score on Ben Sandlin’s double, and Kyle Church walked and came home on a sacrifice fly from Ben Davis to put the Blue Devils ahead for good.
Jackson McCoy finished with three RBIs and went the distance on the mound to get the win. He gave up three runs on six hits without issuing a walk.
UPDATED MHSAA BASEBALL PLAYOFF BRACKETS
South
Clarkdale def. West Marion, 2-0
Game One - Clarkdale 1, West Marion 0
The first game Thursday night at Foxworth was by far the best pitcher’s duel in the state at any level the whole weekend.
Clarkdale’s Cal Culpepper got the win over West Marion’s Jayden Duncan, but both pitchers were absolutely spectacular.
Culpepper worked around three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in seven scoreless innings, and Duncan gave up one hit and five walks with four strikeouts. Clarkdale’s only run was unearned.
Game Two - Clarkdale 6, West Marion 4
The Bulldogs erased a 4-1 deficit with four runs in the fifth inning and walked away with a 6-4 win to clinch the series Friday night at Clarkdale.
Six-straight Bulldog hitters reached base to start that sixth inning. Gavin Moffett went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and Colton Thompson doubled and drove in a run. Clarkdale’s other three runs were unearned.
Houston Wedgeworth got the complete-game win. He gave up four runs (one earned) on seven hits and a walk with 10 strikeouts.
Magee def. Southeast Lauderdale, 2-0
Game One - Magee 1, SE Lauderdale 0
Adam May dominated for Trojans in the series-opening 1-0 win Thursday night in Magee. He threw a one-hit, eight-inning shutout and struck out 12 without issuing a walk.
Brennon McNair got the clutch RBI single with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the with for the win.
Matthew Partridge gave up one run on three hits and four walks in 7.1 innings of work.
Game Two - Magee 17, SE Lauderdale 3
Magee exploded for 17 runs on 15 hits in a blow-out win Friday at Meridian to clinch the series.
Six different Magee hitters recorded multiple hits, and Chandler Pittman led the way with a double and five RBIs. McNair homered and drove in two runs and scored three more. He also pitched all five innings, gave up three runs on four hits and struck out six batters.
The Trojans led 8-2 after two innings, 10-3 after three and 17-3 after four innings.
