SUMRALL – Purvis sophomore Jesse Johnson was red-hot on the mound Tuesday night, and so was Sumrall freshman Kros Sivley.
The two starting pitchers each only gave up two hits to the opposition, neither allowed a run and they combined for 17 strikeouts and two walks. However, Johnson nor Sivley factored into the final decision.
The Purvis Tornadoes scored three runs in the top of the ninth off three Sumrall Bobcat errors to beat their Highway 589 rival 3-0 at Larry Knight Field in Sumrall. Game 2 of the two-game season series is set for Friday night in Purvis at 6:30 p.m.
“We’ve had a lot of classic ones over the years and tonight was no different,” Purvis coach Tony Farlow said. “Their pitcher was dealing and ours was too. We somehow scratched out three runs.”
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Extra innings
Sumrall and Purvis’ offense never could get going in the contest. Both starting pitchers held each offense in check, but opportunities started to present themselves in the eighth and ninth innings.
After Purvis stranded two base runners in the top eighth, Sumrall put two runners in scoring position with one out only to head to the ninth inning still scoreless.
Senior Garrett Robbins singled to leadoff the bottom of the eighth, and sophomore Sully Clark entered the game to pinch run. Then with one out, junior Dannis Jackson doubled down the left field line to put runners on second and third. During the next at-bat, Clark tried to score the game-winning run on a passed ball, but he was called out on the play. A few pitches later, junior Tanner Morgan was called out on a questionable check-swing, third strike.
Purvis finally broke through with runs in the top of ninth off three straight infield errors by the Bobcats’ defense. Sophomore Mason Kendrick reached after an error at second base by Zane Berry, then junior Parker Sharff and sophomore Dakota Lee, who pitched in relief of Johnson, laid down back-to-back bunts that resulted in two more Sumrall errors.
On the first sacrifice bunt, first baseman Mason Story picked up the ball but no player was there to cover first base so the ball got away. Then on the next bunt, Story threw to third base to get the lead runner, but again, the ball got away to allow another run to score.
“It’s very disappointing any time you get into extra innings and the leadoff guy gets on by an error,” Sumrall coach Larry Knight said. “Our defense, we’re not covering first in time, then (Sumrall catcher) Graham (Crawford) tells Mason in communication to go to third, but it should have been to first. We just didn’t do well.”
After the dust settled, Purvis led 2-0. Senior Keyshawn Bolar hit a sacrifice fly to center to plate the third run during the next at-bat.
“We were just trying to bunt and get somebody in scoring position,” Farlow said. “Hopefully, somebody would get a hit, make an error or something, and it kind of worked out where they threw the ball away a couple of times.”
Starting pitching
Both starters deserved to win the game, but in the end, neither will get credited for the win or the loss.
Johnson pitched seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball with nine strikeouts and one walk, and Sivley recorded six innings while scattering two hits with eight strikeouts and one walk. Johnson threw 62 percent of his pitches for strikes and Sivley nearly matched it with 61 percent of pitches for strikes.
“Jesse was outstanding,” Farlow said. “That’s probably the best I’ve seen him throw.”
At one point in the game, Johnson sat down 11 Sumrall hitters in a row from the third to the sixth innings. He faced in the minimum in five of his seven innings, too.
Lee followed up Johnson’s performance with two shutout innings in relief. He added a couple of strikeouts, too, as he tried to ride the momentum left by Johnson on the mound.
“(Johnson) started off throwing strikes,” Lee said. “Sumrall is a team that watches a lot of baseball, so just knowing that I had to throw strikes and do what I had to do.”
Starting Sivley in a rivalry region game was a vote of confidence from Knight. He began the season with four relief appearances that didn’t last more than 1.1 innings, but he has strung together three straight solid starts against Jackson Academy, Brandon and now Purvis. His earned run average sits at 0.61 through 23 innings with a 23 to 10 strikeout to walk ratio.
“I’m so proud of him,” Knight said. “He’s done that every time out there. He’s something special, and it was good for him, in that situation, we needed to see it. Even though JA and Brandon were good teams, when you get to the division, you want to see some things. Of course, it’s disappointing (to lose) when you pitch like that, but you have to tip your hat to Johnson.”
