It was one more time at the Baz for graduated St. Aloysius players Stephen Evans, Pierson Waring, Blake Haygood and Justin Rushing.

The four, who are playing summer ball for the Jackson 96ers, got to play a doubleheader Tuesday at Bazinsky Field, their home park for six years under coach Clint Wilkerson at St. Aloysius, which culminated with back-to-back Class 1A state championships.

The opponent Tuesday was the Mississippi Titans of Vicksburg. The end result of the night was a split as the 96ers won the first game 5-3, while the Titans came back to take the second game 8-5.

“I enjoyed getting to play here one more time, especially since I don’t have to drive back a long way after a double-header,” said Evans, the two-time reigning Vicksburg Post Player of the Year.

The split leaves the Titans with a 13-8-1 record going into the Mississippi Showdown tournament, which starts today at Hinds Community College.

Home runs proved to be the difference in both games. Evans started the first game and went three strong innings and left with the lead that was quickly blown by reliever L.J. Hollins, a Southern Miss signee who is now going to Chipola (Fla.) Community College.

Hollins gave up three runs in the fourth inning, the last two coming off a two-run single by Porters Chapel’s Montana McDaniel.

Titans reliever Carlos Gonzales of Warren Central, however, couldn’t make the 3-2 lead stick. In the fifth, he gave up a single to Ole Miss signee Peyton Johnson and then served up a two-run homer by rising Madison Central senior Spencer Turnbull. Turnbull’s shot to right-center made it 4-3.

The 96ers added a run in the sixth when Holmes signee Josh Crowder of Madison doubled home Waring, who had reached on a walk.

Like Evans, who is going to Hinds with him, Waring was glad to play at Bazinsky.

“It was good to be here again,” Waring said. Waring had an RBI single in the fourth for a 2-0 lead, two walks and a run scored. Haygood, who is going to Southwest Community College, had an RBI single in the second inning off Titan starter Clayton Ashley of Warren Central.

Evans got through a shaky first inning to hold the Titans scoreless over his three innings. He allowed two walks and a hit in the first inning, but came back to strike out Gary Sweet to escape a bases-loaded jam.

“I’ve pitched a pretty good amount with this team, but like last week in Hattiesburg, it was all in relief. In the first inning, I was overthrowing and that’s why I walked those two, but I came back and struck out the last guy,” Evans said. He retired the last seven Titans in order and finished with four strikeouts.

Titans coach Roosevelt Brown felt his team missed a chance at a sweep but was still pleased at his team’s progress.

“They (the 96ers) wanted to beat us pretty badly, but for us, this was work. We got our work in. If not for two plays, we win both games. But, overall, I thought we played well. We had good at-bats and that’s something people notice,” Brown said.

Titans 8, 96ers 5

The Titans came back from a 3-2 deficit by scoring six runs in the fourth inning. The key blows were a tie-breaking, two-run single by Murrah’s Alvin Franklin that was followed by a three-run homer by Clinton’s Patrick Barnes. The blast came off Evans, who came in relief after Franklin’s hit had made it 5-3. Barnes’ bomb made it 8-3.

Warren Central’s Blake Jobe pitched the fifth inning to earn the save. He allowed two unearned runs when a fly ball, with two out, was dropped for an error. Waring had reached on a bunt single and scored off the error.

Caleb Dugas took the loss for the 96ers. Clayton Ashley had a double and Lamar Anthony reached on a hit-by-pitch and scored a run.