PETAL – Baseball can sometimes be a weird game.
Weird is a good way to describe how Oak Grove defeated Petal 6-4 Saturday night in Game 2 of the Class 7A quarterfinal series at Panther Field.
The Warriors turned one hit into six runs in the second inning, and that was all the offense they needed to clinch the series sweep and advance to the South State finals next week against Region 3-7A rival Brandon.
Oak Grove (26-5) will host the first game of the state semifinals on Friday. Petal finished its season 20-11.
“It was an ugly offensive performance by us, but a lot of it had to do with their guys,” said Oak Grove coach Chris McCardle.
“The first guy was throwing so hard, I couldn’t believe it, then they brought the lefty in, and I knew he was going to be tough. But I’m really proud of my team. Petal is a really good team, and we went 4-0 against them, so I’m happy about that.”
The game turned abruptly in the top of the second after Panther senior right-hander Tanner Beliveau rode a blistering fastball to five easy outs to the first five batters he faced, four on strikeouts.
Then, just like that, Beliveau (3-3) lost command of the strike zone. As a result, the Warriors scored three runs literally without putting a bat on a ball, not even any fouls.
A four-pitch walk to Warrior senior Bryson Chapman started the avalanche, followed by another walk, two hit batters – the second a scary moment when senior Christian Cannon took a ball off the top of his helmet – then yet another walk brought Petal coach Jake Mills out to get his pitcher.
“You look at it, you never think you’ll lose 6-4 on a one-hitter,” said Mills. “That’s the toughest thing to swallow. It’s hard to explain. You get through five outs, four on strikeouts, then you look up and they’ve got six runs.
“But I’ve said it all year; you give good teams freebies and extra chances, and they cash it in.”
Initially, sophomore left-hander Cooper Giger had no better luck with the strike zone than Beliveau, issuing another RBI walk, then the biggest blow of the game, a towering double off the right field wall by senior Mac McDaniel for a three-run double.
“Bases loaded, you’ve got to do a job,” said McDaniel. “You’ve got to score some runs in that situation. I really felt it right there. I was in the position, and that was right where I wanted to be.
“You know, 3-1, he’s got to throw a strike there, so I was siting fastball. I was hunting it, and when he threw it, it was right there, my pitch.
Buoyed by the big 6-0 lead, Warrior senior Gage Thompson settled in after a shaky first inning and cruised through the next two innings. Petal got two runners on in the first by walks, but Thompson got a strikeout and a groundout to avoid trouble.
“I felt like I was dipping toward my front side on my windup a little too much,” said Thompson. “I just had to stay on my back leg, and when I do that, all four of my pitches move incredibly well.”
However, Giger also settled in nicely after his rocky start. He didn’t allow another hit, struck out seven, walked two and hit a batter, keeping the Panthers in the game to allow a comeback.
“I thought Cooper did a heck of a job, once he settled in,” said Mills. “It’s just one of those things; you couldn’t have (a reliever) ready in time. But he’s been a guy for us all year who’s been able to come in and throw strikes.”
Petal started chipping away at the deficit in the fourth, scoring two runs on four hits.
Beliveau, now back in his customary position behind the plate, led off the inning with an opposite-field single to rightfield, and junior John Lindsey III followed with another single to the same spot.
Lindsey was retired at second on a groundout, but junior Dawson Dykes singled up the middle to drive in a run. Thompson got a strikeout for the second out, but junior Layne Adams made it 6-2 with a single to right.
A steal put runners at second and third, but Thompson got out of the jam with a groundout, then worked a 1-2-3 fifth inning.
“Our kids fight, and they’ve done that all year,” said Mills. “They’ve done everything we’ve put in front of them, from the schedule with how we do things. They’re resilient, and they just kept chugging along.
“We gave ourselves a chance. Had the tying run at the plate, and just kept going, kept fighting.”
But the Panthers weren’t done.
Lindsey led off the bottom of the sixth with a double that missed being a home run by inches, but he scored anyway on a single by senior Jayden Madison, who ended up at third after an error in the outfield.
After Dykes drew a walk, McCardle knew it was time to make a move to the bullpen, bringing in senior left-hander Shannon Farmer.
“Gage was going on short rest,” said McCardle. “I wanted him to get us through four; he got us into the sixth. I might have left him in a batter too long, but based on what he’s done for us this year, I thought he could do it.
“But I knew his velocity was down, and he was tired, plus I had a lot of confidence in Farmer. He came into a tough situation and minimized the situation.”
And Farmer got the job done, getting three straight groundballs, one of which drove in Madison with Petal’s fourth run of the night, then worked around a leadoff double by sophomore Fischer Howell in the seventh to nail down the save.
Thompson (9-0) scattered six hits, struck out eight and walked three.
“One hundred percent, it was the curveball working for me tonight,” said Thompson. “In counts where I needed to make a pitch, that was the one I counted on. It was trying to make my finger bleed, so it was a little crazy out there.
“I was not ready to come out, but I feel like my body was ready to come out. I haven’t had the rest that I needed, but I knew I was going out there to do the job for my team.”
For his part, Mills was happy with a 20-win season, especially considering the Panthers return all but two senior starters for next season.
“Through all the ups and down, our kids fought hard,” said Mills. “I mean, I’ll put our schedule up against anybody’s, and to win 20 games is something to be proud of.
“I’m just proud of the way they fought all year. They were up to any challenge, never blinked an eye, came to work every day. That’s what we asked them to do, and they did that.”
The win puts Oak Grove one step away from its 13th state championship, but the first since 2014. The Warriors split with Brandon in the regular season, losing 7-2 at home, then winning 4-3 on the road.
“We all get along, we all play hard,” said McDaniel. “We have a good team chemistry. Everybody wants the same thing, and that’s what I like about this team.”
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