Tide Bats Come Up Empty In Loss to Warriors

By: JASON PIGOTT

Playing their home opener on a chilly March night in front of a near capacity crowd in Picayune, the Maroon Tide

could not solve Oak Grove ace, Wayne Smith. Smith helped the top-ranked and current two-time defending 5A

State Champs show why they are favored by many to 3-peat in 2005, by pitching a 4-0 shutout.

Tide miscues in the top of the first inning gave Smith a 2-0 lead before toeing the rubber. Picayune ace pitcher,

Heath Stevens, struck out leadoff man Drew Ezell to begin the game. However, Ezell was able to reach first

base when strike three got away from the catcher.

After surrendering a base hit and then a walk to load the bases, Stevens enticed a ground ball 4-6-3

(Fortenberry-Parrish-D.Pascal) double play. The runner from third would score on the play making it 1-0

Oak Grove.
With two outs, the next two batters were “beaned” by Stevens, loading the bases once more. The Warriors

would plate another run on a fielding error by the shortstop and take a 2-0 lead after a half inning of play.

The two run cushion was all Smith (3-0) would need. The Warriors senior left-hander would respond by

striking out the side in the home half of the first inning. He would do the same in the 3rd and 4th innings

en route to a complete game, 2-hit, 14-K performance. The USM signee allowed only three Tide runners

into scoring position all night.

Tide pitcher Heath Stevens (1-2) would settle down after the 1st inning and finish strong. Stevens went

the distance on the mound allowing 4 unearned runs on 4 hits and striking out 9.  A strong performance

against a Warrior team that were averaging over 10-runs a game coming in.  Stevens and Alex Riser

represented the only Maroon Tide hits in the game – each singled.

The loss drops Picayune to (5-4) overall and 0-1 in Division 5-5A while Oak Grove improves to (9-1)

overall and (1-0). This was Game 1 of 3 between these two teams in the '05 regular season.