Eagles blast error-prone Calvary in Game 1

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, April 27, 2010

MERIDIAN — The only thing that seems certain in the wild, unpredictable rivalry between Porters Chapel and Calvary Christian is that someone is going to have a bad day.

On Monday, it was Calvary’s bad day.

The Cougars committed nine errors and uncorked five wild pitches, leading to 11 unearned runs and a 13-5 loss to PCA in Game 1 of a second-round MAIS Class A playoff series.

Email newsletter signup

Sign up for The Vicksburg Post's free newsletters

Check which newsletters you would like to receive
  • Vicksburg News: Sent daily at 5 am
  • Vicksburg Sports: Sent daily at 10 am
  • Vicksburg Living: Sent on 15th of each month

Montana McDaniel pitched four solid innings and went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, and Colby Rushing drove in three runs for PCA (16-10), which scored in every inning except the sixth. The Eagles led 11-0 before easing off the throttle late and making a few mistakes of their own that allowed Calvary (21-5) to get on the board.

“We played ball when we had to,” PCA coach Jerry Bourne said. “It got sloppy toward the end but we played ball when we had to.”

PCA can finish its second consecutive series sweep when it hosts Game 2 on Thursday at 4 p.m. Game 3, if necessary, would follow immediately after. A victory Thursday would send the Eagles — the defending Class A champions — to the semifinals for the second straight season and the sixth time in 10 years.

“That gives us a lot of confidence and a lot of momentum. We have all the confidence and all the momentum in this series,” Bourne said. “We jumped on them and didn’t let up.”

The Eagles made Calvary pay for every single one of its mistakes, which ranged from routine to comical.

In the second inning, after McDaniel made it 3-0 with an RBI single, he attempted to steal second. A throwing error by the catcher allowed him to go to third and another errant throw by the second baseman allowed him to score.

Two batters later, Matthew Warren walked to put runners at first and third. As Warren broke for second on a steal attempt, Calvary pitcher Jonathon Bartlett went through his throwing motion to the plate — but never released the ball. He was called for a balk, allowing John Michael Harris to score and make it 5-0.

PCA added six more unearned runs over the next three innings to take an 11-0 lead. Calvary batted around in the bottom of the fifth to stave off the mercy rule, but never came close to putting a serious dent in the deficit.

“I wish I could explain it. It seemed like we made one bad throw after another,” Calvary coach Jerry Dean said.

This was the latest bizarre chapter in the season series between the District 5-A rivals.

PCA scored nine runs in its last two at-bats to take a 13-3 victory in Vicksburg on March 30. Two weeks later, it was the Eagles who committed nine errors and lost 13-4 in the rematch. Monday’s lopsided affair gave PCA the edge for now, but it will mean nothing if it doesn’t seal the deal on Thursday.

“We’re pretty good, even teams and we haven’t played even yet,” Dean said.

Given the ebb and flow of the series, McDaniel said the Eagles weren’t taking anything for granted. Calvary’s top two pitchers, Matt Seward and Kyle Koch, both threw in last week’s first-round clincher against Alpha Christian and didn’t pitch Monday. Both will be available Thursday, which could finally bring a more evenly-contested game between the teams.

“We’ve both made errors. When one plays hard, the other plays loose. They’re starting to be a big rival for us,” McDaniel said. “They’re going to pitch their number one so we’re going to have to play our best game. Put pressure on them and keep it close.”

Contact Ernest Bowker at ebowker@vicksburgpost.com