6A Playoffs: Brock Tapper, DeSoto Central sweep past Oxford with 8-2 win

SOUTHAVEN — DeSoto Central is headed to Pearl for the 6A Baseball State Championship for the first time in four years.

The Jaguars dispatched Oxford 8-2 Monday night, sweeping the best-of-three North State series from the Chargers. They’ll face 6A South Champion Northwest Rankin in the title series next week at Trustmark Park in Pearl.

“At state, we got to just play great baseball,” DeSoto Central coach Mark Monaghan said. “Northwest Rankin is a great team, they're very well coached and have a lot of experience. They were there last year, but we can't really focus on anybody but ourselves. We have to utilize our time bewteen now and game one to get better everyday. That's what put us in this position."

Well, that and some timely hitting.

DeSoto Central (21-10) got the party started early Monday, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first on a throwing error and a sacrifice fly from Brock Tapper.

Oxford got both runs back in the top of the second on an RBI double by Jack Harper and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Dixon Webb.

Ryan Musselwhite busted the game wide open in the bottom of the third. KrisitanSprawling singled to get things going, Tyler Pearson doubled and Tapper drew a walk to set the table, and Musselwhite took the 1-0 pitch deep to right field for a grand slam.

Just like that, the Jaguars had a 6-2 lead.

"I just wanted to get a pop out to right field and it went over,” Musselwhite said. “I'm glad it did.”

DeSoto Central added the final two runs in the fourth on a single from Sprawling that scored Ryan Moore and a Colton Coates RBI double to right.

DeSoto Central’s starting pitcher Tapper went the distance on the mound. Only one of Oxford’s two runs was earned, and he allowed two hits and walked one, striking out nine.

He struck out the side in the fourth inning, two more in the fifth and fanned two more batters to escape a two-on, one-out jam in the sixth.

“Words can’t describe (how we feel),” Tapper said. “I told the freshmen from day one, I was a freshman the last time we went to Trustmark (Park), and I was determined to get back there one more time before I left. So, it’s a feeling undescribable.”

"We've very humble. Very blessed to have the crowd," said Coach Monaghan. "I told the kids make sure you let everybody that was here tonight know you appreciate them. I told them pay your respects to everyone that came out to support them. We felt that. It was a great environment for a special night. At state we got to just play great baseball. NW Rankin is a great team, they're very well coached and have a lot of experience. They were there last year, but we can't really focus on anybody but ourselves. We have to utilize our time now and between game one to get better everyday. That's what put us in this position."