Jaguars bounce back to even series against Tupelo
Apr. 17—TUPELO — Walks, errors and strikeouts make up a three-part recipe for disaster in baseball.
That recipe dialed up a long night for No. 2-ranked Tupelo, who dropped a 15-4 contest to DeSoto Central at home on Friday night.
The Golden Wave (18-6, 5-3) ripped through six pitchers, combining for 14 walks, three hit batters and eight hits. Tupelo's defense didn't help the cause with five errors in the onslaught.
"Us swinging the bats was pretty evenly matched. The difference was their guy competed and didn't walk people," Tupelo head coach Justin Reed said. "Obviously with that many free passes, you can't win."
Desoto Central evened the Division 1-6A series after Tupelo took a 7-0 decision on Tuesday. Game 3, which would decide the No. 2 seed in the division, was played Saturday in Southaven.
The Jaguars (15-6, 5-3) held a 3-0 lead at the end of the first inning on an RBI groundout by starting pitcher Brock Tapper plus two Tupelo errors.
Tapper, a Mississippi State commit, held the Wave lineup in check to the fifth inning, when the wheels started coming off for Tupelo.
DeSoto Central plated six runs in the top of the fifth for a 9-0 lead. Tupelo showed signs of life with a four-run bottom of the frame, using RBI triples from Kylan Washington and McClain Ray and an RBI single from Easton Hood.
The Jaguars extended their lead with six runs across the final two innings as Tupelo struggled to find the strike zone.
"We wanted to create as much as we could," said Desoto Central coach Mark Monaghan. "We are a young team. We don't have a bunch of big bats that are going to carry us, so we are just going to have to put the ball in play, get on base and put the pressure on the other team."
Extra Bases
Big Inning: DeSoto Central scored six runs in the fifth, using a two-run double from Landon Powell, a two-run single from Ryan Moore, and a Tupelo error that scored two more.
Big Stat: Tapper picked up the win throwing 5 1/3 innings, allowing six hits and three earned runs with seven strikeouts and two walks.
Coach Speak: "Every time it's like this between us. Lopsided win, lopsided win, and then a great game on Game 3, so maybe (Saturday) is a good game for us." — Reed
