Porter’s Chapel Academy kicked the ball around Tuesday night, and its status as a first-place team went right with it.

The Eagles committed six errors that led to 10 unearned runs, and they suffered their first district loss of the season in falling 17-5 to Manchester Academy.

Dylan Dendy went 3-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs and four runs scored for Manchester (5-1, 1-1 MAIS District 4-2A). Mills Paul was 3-for-5 with a double and four runs scored, and Jon Riley Poe was 3-for-5 with three runs scored. Poe also pitched two scoreless innings of relief.

The first four batters in Manchester’s order ­— Paul, Jon Riley Poe, Dendy and Parks Poe — combined for 11 of the team’s 16 hits, scored 13 of their 17 runs, and had seven RBIs.
Errors, though, were just as big a factor for PCA (6-9, 3-1).

Two errors in the fourth inning led to three runs for the Mavericks, which gave them a 7-2 lead and started to crack the game open. Another error and a dropped third strike in the seventh inning led to three more runs, and Manchester scored eight total to make it 17-4.

John Wyatt Massey and Zach Ashley each had two hits and an RBI for PCA, and Gage Palmer scored two runs. The Eagles had eight hits total and kept up for a while — Ashley’s RBI single gave them a 2-1 lead after one inning, and Thomas Azlin had another RBI single in the fourth that trimmed their deficit to 7-4 — but the errors and a mounting pitch count for their star pitcher Palmer ultimately did them in.

Palmer left the game after throwing 106 pitches in 5 2/3 innings. He allowed 11 hits, but only walked two batters and struck out seven. Only three of the nine runs he allowed were earned.

Two relievers followed Palmer and gave up eight runs — five of them earned — on five hits and four walks in 1 1/3 innings.

PCA and Manchester will play again Thursday at 6 p.m. in Yazoo City.

Tallulah Academy 17, Riverdale 0
Marsh Wood went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored, and also pitched three scoreless innings to lead Tallulah Academy (12-1) to a run-rule victory over Riverdale Academy.

Jacob Martin also went 3-for-4 for the Trojans, with a double and three RBIs. Kayne Romero and Walker Sullivan both hit RBI triples and scored one run each.

Sullivan’s RBI triple capped a five-run first inning. Romero’s triple was part of a nine-run rally in the bottom of the fourth.