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St. Aloysius catcher Pierson Smith tags Copiah Academy's Hadley Watts during Tuesday's game at Bazinsky Field. It was one of three runners the Flashes threw out at home plate in a 3-2 victory. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

St. Aloysius pitcher Clark Hobson (17) makes an acrobatic tag on Copiah Academy's Hayes Gillis (3) in the first inning of Tuesday's game at Bazinsky Field. Gillis was out on the play. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

St. Aloysius' Keller Bradley, right, gets a high-five from teammate Walt Andrews (4) after scoring a run against Copiah Academy. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

St. Aloysius' Walt Andrews (4) swings at a pitch against Copiah Academy. Andrews hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Flashes a 3-2 victory. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Copiah Academy's Bryson Moss (6) leaps over St. Aloysius first baseman Max Hargrave after Hargrave on a play in the second inning. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

St. Aloysius catcher Pierson Smith reaches back to catch a pop up behind home plate during Tuesday's game against Copiah Academy. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

St. Aloysius is living dangerously, but it’s also living at the top of the MAIS District 4-5A baseball standings.

Walt Andrews blooped an RBI single just past the infield with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Flashes a 3-2 victory over Copiah Academy on Tuesday. It was their second walk-off win in four district games and kept them in first place.

St. Al loaded the bases in the seventh on two hit batters and a walk. Andrews then hit a pop up that dropped just onto the outfield grass, behind first base and on the right field line between three Copiah defenders. Right fielder Ryder Forrest tried to make a sliding catch but couldn’t come up with it, and Pierson Smith sprinted home to score the winning run well ahead of the throw.

It was the last odd highlight in a game filled with them. In the third inning, St. Al’s Carson Smith hit an RBI single on a play similar to Andrews’ game-winner. Smith hit a soft pop up that went over the head of second baseman Hadley Watts, who was playing in. Keller Bradley scored on that play to give the Flashes a 2-1 lead.

Bradley finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored. He was the only player on either team with more than one hit. Andrews got the win on the mound as well as his game-winning hit by pitching 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

In addition to the offense, the Flashes had a steady stream of defensive web gems. They threw out three runners at home plate, including one to end the seventh inning. Another was thrown out trying to steal second base.

First baseman Max Hargrave had a nice diving stop on a hard hit ball down the line to save a couple of runs and escape a jam in the second inning. In the third Smith ran down a bouncing grounder that seemed headed to the outfield for another RBI hit. Smith got to the ball and was able to beat the runner to second base for an inning-ending force out.

St. Al (13-7, 4-0 District 4-5A) moved into the driver’s seat in the District 4-5A championship race. It is the only undefeated team in the district and has a two-game lead with five to play. It’ll play Copiah Academy (4-16-1, 1-3) in a doubleheader Friday in Gallman, and then has a three-game series against second-place Cathedral (11-9, 2-2) next week.

St. Al and Cathedral will play in Natchez on April 8, and a doubleheader at Bazinksy Field in Vicksburg on April 11.

About Ernest Bowker

Ernest Bowker is The Vicksburg Post's sports editor. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post's sports staff since 1998, making him one of the longest-tenured reporters in the paper's 140-year history. The New Jersey native is a graduate of LSU. In his career, he has won more than 50 awards from the Mississippi Press Association and Associated Press for his coverage of local sports in Vicksburg.

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