PEARL — All it took for Oak Grove was one big inning.
Behind a three-run fifth inning and the pitching of sophomore Luke Lyon the Warriors got past Pearl 5-1 to sweep the Pirates in the second round of the MHSAA Class 6A Baseball playoffs at Pirate Park on Saturday night.
Oak Grove (17-9) will face Gulfport in the third round of the Class 6A playoffs that begin on Thursday.
“I feel like Luke did a great job on the mound and controlled the whole game,” Oak Grove coach Chris McCardle said. “The game could’ve gone either way, but glad we were able to get some big hits to score some runs in the fifth inning.”
Lyon was sufficiently effective for the Warriors on the mound tossing a complete game, scattered two hits, gave up one unearned run, walked three and struck out 11 to improve his record to 6-5.
“Tonight was just mindset for me and staying focus,” Lyon said. “I couldn’t adjust with my curveball at the beginning of the game, but later in the game, I was able to get control and was effective.”
Senior Hayes Maples had a solo home run in the top of the first to give Oak Grove a 1-0.
Pearl would then tie the game at 1 when Tylan Knight scored off a throwing error.
In the fifth the Warriors would take a 3-1 lead on a two-run single by DeeJay Booth and Tanner Slay would follow with one of his two run-scoring singles.
Booth had three hits, including a double, to lead the Warriors offensively. Slay and Maples added two hits each for Oak Grove.
“DeeJay is another sophomore that’s coming along and doesn’t strike out a lot,” McCardle said. “He’s been big for us throughout the year and tonight the stayed with the pitch and drove the ball the other way and worked out.”
Now it’s on to Gulfport. The Admirals ended Oak Grove’s season last year in the 6A South State Championship.
“Seems like we run into each other regularly,” McCardle said. “They got a lot of guys back from last year and played in the state championship and we got a lot of young ones, so it’ll be interesting.”
