The matchup that was expected all season has finally arrived.
For the second straight year, Purvis and Sumrall will again battle in the South State Championship with a trip to the state title series on the line.
To recap, each school has won the previous two state championships. Last year, Purvis defeated Sumrall in a three-game series that featured an overall attendance of almost 6,000 fans.
“After we got beat by them last year, I can’t see the future or anything, but you kind of figured this is how it would be this week,” Sumrall coach Andy Davis said. “Being the hunted is a lot different than doing the hunting. We’ve played them three times already, and you can throw all of that out the window. There’s really no motivational speech to give or anything because it’s a rival. It’s Purvis, and it’s an in-county rival.”
The two teams played three times, with Sumrall defeating Purvis 18-5 in the Adidas tournament during non-district play. Then, in region play, Purvis walked off Sumrall 6-5 before the Bobcats bounced back to defeat the Tornadoes 10-3 and claim the Region 7-4A title.
“On paper before the season, this probably should have been the Purvis and Sumrall rematch,” Purvis coach Tony Farlow said. “I know there were a couple of teams for us in the playoffs that could have put us out. I felt like with what we are returning and what Sumrall was returning, on paper, this is probably what you would bet on. But yep, we get to do the matchup again.”
Sumrall’s Starting Pitchers
Both sides expected to meet in the South State series, but Sumrall (30-4) took a step further by holding their top two pitchers against Purvis (25-7) during the regular season. It’s a side effect of every team in Region 7-4A now making the playoffs.
“That was the thing last year; they saw Drew three times,” Andy Davis said. “Leo started Game 2 last year and didn’t do too well. It’s all about the familiarity to me.
“I feel better inside that they haven’t seen Drew and Leo much this year. Is that an advantage? I don’t know, honestly. I feel like it is some, but at the same time, these are the same kids who threw against Purvis in the division. I wanted them to get a taste of what it’s like to pitch against Purvis. That way, if they have to come back this week to pitch, then they would have done it before.”
Purvis briefly saw Drew Davis for one inning earlier in the regular season and has yet to see Ole Miss commit Leo Odom. This season, Davis has recorded a 1.66 ERA, struck out 80 batters and walked 27, while Odom has posted a 2.10 ERA, struck out 78 and walked 38.
“We know that the velocity is coming from those two guys,” Farlow said.”If you want a chance to move on, you have to figure out a way to beat them or at least one of them.
“We’ve got to stay out of big innings. We’ve got to say in the game. That’s what we did last year, and we gave ourselves a chance to win it at the end.”
Drew Davis’ and Odom’s bats are equally potent. Davis has batted .367,has 28 RBI, hit two triples and three home runs,while Odom has a .330 average, 32 runs driven in, 14 doubles and four homers.
Notably, Landon Hawkins, who is batting .400, and Cade Clinton have both hit four home runs.
Walker Heats Up
Purvis’ Ethan Walker has had a breakout year on the pitching mound, but his bat has heated up dramatically in the playoffs.
In the postseason, Walker is hitting .450, has driven in 13 runs and hit five home runs. On the mound this season, Walker holds a 2.70 ERA, has struck out 57 batters and walked just 10.
“He’s getting hot lately,” Andy Davis said. “Pitching-wise, he throws strikes and he fills the zone up. He’s mid to low 80s and has good offspeed. The catcher they have right now when Ethan pitches is an eighth grader. He does a great job, but I sure do love not seeing Ethan behind the plate. He is a solid catcher and one of the best catchers in the state. With him not catching it makes me feel better than pitching.”
The Tornadoes also feature Mississippi State commits Jojo and Jacob Parker, who are both having strong seasons again. At the plate, Jojo has hit .443, 25 RBI, nine doubles, five home runs and swiped 24 bases, while Jacob has posted a .442 average, 33 RBI, 11 doubles and five homers.
On the mound, the brothers have been equally effective, as both hold 2.10 ERAs. Jojo has struck out 60 batters and walked 14, while Jacob has struck out 34 and walked 14.
“For us, we’ll still be trying to figure out how to beat them,” Farlow said. “I know they are really good, especially offensively. They are going to have good arms. They’ll be hard to beat. I feel like for us, we have to throw strikes, and you can say that for any game. But I know in the two games that they beat us really badly that we didn’t throw strikes and we made errors. You can’t give stuff away and have a chance to beat Sumrall.”
The first game of the series will be played on Friday at Sumrall. Game 2 will be played on Saturday at Purvis, and if Game 3 is needed, it will be played at Sumrall on Monday. All games are set for 7 p.m.
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