Tigers knock out Gators

Published 12:11 am Sunday, April 22, 2012

With plenty of support from his offense, along with some more help from Vicksburg’s defense, South Panola’s Hunter Ivy was able to pick up two complete-game victories Saturday at Bazinsky Field.

Ivy held Vicksburg to just four hits in a 10-1 win in Game 3 to wrap up a Class 6A first-round series. South Panola (16-15) advances to play Southaven in the next round. The loss ended Vicksburg’s season at 15-11.

South Panola coach Patrick Robey said a low pitch count in Game 1, which began Friday night in Batesville, but was completed in nearly 15 minutes Saturday at Bazinsky Field, allowed Ivy to come back to pitch Game 3.

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

“Honestly, everything went right for us in Game 1 and he needed just 40 pitches to get to the fifth inning,” Robey said of Ivy. “He didn’t need that many to get us out of the fifth today and we got two more runs to end it. So, I felt he was the one kid we could bring back for Game 3. It’s the first time in 10 years of coaching, I’ve started a kid two games with no rest. But it was because everything went right for us.”

Vicksburg was unable to string together any hits against Ivy. Through five innings in Game 3, he allowed just two singles, both to Lamar Anthony.

Vicksburg coach Ryan Grey was impressed.

“You just have to tip your cap to him,” Grey said. “He’s an outstanding sophomore pitcher. We couldn’t string things together.”

Vicksburg senior pitcher/outfielder Clyde Kendrick, who pitched the Gators to a win in Game 2, said Ivy was hard to read.

“He was so slow and then he’d bring in that change-up,” Kendrick said. “We’re used to guys pitching us 80 to 85 (mph).”

Vicksburg helped out with five errors in the field. They had six in the Game 1 loss.

“In both games we lost, we didn’t make enough plays,” Grey said. “We made too many mistakes in the field.”

After two scoreless innings, Vicksburg starter Jekori Reed was victimized by the game’s first error on a grounder to third. Will Dinkins reached and quickly came home off the first of three doubles by Chris Townsend.

Townsend was thrown out by Anthony on a laser home from center field. Chance Whitten homered to right to make it 2-0. Two more errors in the fourth brought in two runs and put the Tigers up 4-0.

Townsend got his second double in the top of the sixth to plate Blake Darby while Whitten drove in a second run for a 6-0 lead.

Vicksburg’s lone run in the series off Ivy came in the sixth when Kendrick reached on a bunt single, stole second and scored on Cameron Cooksey’s single off the fence in left.

Ivy finished with five strikeouts and only one walk.

Vicksburg 10, South Panola 7

Vicksburg extended the series to a third game as Clyde Kendrick overcame an erratic performance to beat South Panola in Game 2.

Kendrick, a Hinds Community College signee, struck out nine but walked eight and hit one batter. Still, two of his strikeouts came in the seventh inning and he got a pinch-hitter to ground out to short to end the game.

All nine batters in Vicksburg’s lineup got a hit against three South Panola pitchers. The Gators used a seven-run third inning to erase a 5-3 Tiger lead. Anthony’s RBI double followed along with two South Panola errors keyed the inning. Cooksey, Gabe Bufkin, Reed and Darius Kendrick all had RBIs as Vicksburg went up 10-5.

South Panola 10, Vicksburg 0

The Tigers needed just 15 minutes to complete Game 1. The game was suspended because of rain in the top of the fifth inning with Vicksburg trailing 8-0 in Batesville. When the game resumed, Vicksburg’s Michael Rohrer got a one-out single, but was later doubled off second base after Bufkin’s liner was caught in center. It was the third double play turned by the Tigers.