Presbyterian Christian came into its debut season in MHSAA baseball with a big fat bull’s-eye on its back after a triumphant departure as state champions in the largest classification in MAIS.
And the Bobcats haven’t disappointed.
PCS locked up its first title in Region 8-3A with a 12-2 victory over St. Stanislaus in six innings Friday at the PCS Ballfield, completing a series sweep of the Rockachaws after winning 10-3 Tuesday at Bay St. Louis.
The Bobcats (18-5 overall) finished region play at 7-1 and will await the fourth-place team from Region 7-3A in the opening round of the Class 3A playoffs beginning next Friday. SSC dropped to 13-8 and 5-3, and will be the third seed in the region.
“We talk about it,” said PCS coach Jarrett Hoffpauir. “It’s always one week at a time for us.
“In the past we’ve been the chaser, chasing the Preps, the Hartfields, the MRAs and guys like that. Now, we’re on the other side of that. We’re learning how to handle it, taking it game-by-game and not taking anything for granted.”
The Bobcats took no prisoners right from the start, scoring runs in each of the first two innings to build a 2-0 lead.
Senior left-hander Tyner Flynt breezed through the top of the first inning on just 11 pitches, and Rockachaw junior right-hander Owyn Cuevas started in like fashion, getting two quick outs on just six pitches.
But Bobcat senior Bankston Walters pulled the second pitch he saw deep and far over the rightfield fence for a solo home run. It was the first of a 4-for-4 night with three RBIs.
“He hung, I think it was a slider, up,” said Walters, who had been in a hitting slump coming into April.
“Coach (Jay) Alston and I were talking before the game. I wasn’t swinging the bat very well, and I wasn’t being aggressive. So that was my focus tonight. If I could put a barrel on it, I was swinging. I ran into one, and it felt good.”
Flynt helped himself at the plate in the bottom of the second, smacking the first pitch of the inning into left-centerfield for a double. The runner beat a throw to third on a high bouncer to the mound and scored on a groundout up the middle.
St. Stanislaus tied it up with a pair of runs in the top of the third, as Flynt experienced a bout of uncharacteristic wildness, including two walks and four wild pitches. The second of those, however, resulted in an out at the plate.
Still, it wasn’t like the senior lefty.
“All of my stuff was actually working the whole game,” said Flynt. “I had the third-inning hiccup where my hands were real sweaty and I couldn’t handle the ball. But I got out of it OK.”
Indeed, Flynt (4-0) retired the last 10 batters he faced. He allowed just two hits, struck out five and walked two.
“My change-up was probably my best pitch tonight,” said Flynt. “It creates a ton of depth, and mirrors my two-seamer really well. Right-handed hitters are going to have a hard time picking it up. Most times, they have a hard night.”
With a seven-run cushion in a potential tiebreak scenario in the event of a Rockachaw win, the Bobcats knew they had a big advantage.
“It was a must-win for us,” Hoffpauir said. “We knew coming in that they had to score some runs on us. Any time we have Tyner on the mound, that’s going to be difficult for them. We figured if we could score early, put some pressure on them, things would go our way.”
And the Bobcats immediately answered the challenge. Walters and junior Brennon Thoms each drew walks to open the bottom of the third, and that was it for Cuevas.
Senior right-hander Warren Gunter came on, gave up a one-out bunt single by Flynt to load the bases, and a wild pitch got the go-ahead run in. Cuevas (2-2) allowed three runs on four hits, he struck out two and walked three.
“A lot of people don’t take bunting seriously,” said Flynt, who also reached on a bunt single in the fifth. “I know a lot of times in practice we work on it. We harp on it, because those little things are going to win you ball games sometimes.”
Gunter pitched a 1-2-3 fourth, but the fifth was a much different story. Walters led off the inning by blasting the first pitch of the inning over the wall in left-centerfield for his second homer of the game.
By the time St. Stanislaus got an out in the inning, six runs were already across on what would be an eight-run inning on six hits, two walks, a hit batter, a run-scoring wild pitch and two Rockachaw errors.
“I was looking for (the curveball),” said Walters. “I was seeing the ball really well tonight. He hung it, and, honestly, I think it was the best swing I’ve taken all year. It felt really good.”
Freshman Eian Hinton and junior Kade Welford had RBI singles in the inning, and Thoms drew a bases-loaded walk to drive in another run.
After retiring the Rocks in order in the top of the sixth, PCS got a one-out single by Welford, then with two out, a hit batter and an infield single loaded the bases for Walters, and he brought the game to an end with a single into leftfield.
Hoffpauir wasn’t certain who the Bobcats will face in the opening round of the playoffs, probably Jefferson County, but they do know they’ll open the postseason at home as one of the favorites in Class 3A.
“We’ve definitely been seeing everyone’s best arms,” said Walters. “But that’s just the way it is. We’ve built that with our program, and that’s who we are now. We’ve got a target on our backs.
“MHSAA has been very competitive. We’re glad to be here and glad to show who we are.”
