April 9, 2009

Photo by Jill Lee

Maroon Tide pounds Poplarville 11-1

by Carey Meitzler

Picayune--The Picayune Maroon Tide finished their Region 8-4A slate with a bang, as in, banging out 11 hits in defeating

Poplarville 11-1 in a game shortened to five innings due to the 10 run rule. 

Poplarville scored a run in the top of the first on a bases loaded walk as starter Picayune Hunter Gill got off a shaky start. 

Jared Bales tied the game with his fifth home run and twenty-eighth RBI of the season as he drove a pitch over the center

field wall with two outs in the bottom of the first.

Photo by Jill Lee

Jared Bales launches his first inning solo home run against Poplarville.

Gill settled down and faced just two batters over the minimum the rest of the way while the Maroon Tide bats came alive.

Picayune scored twice in the second inning.  Brandon Jurich and Evan Nichelson both singled to start the inning.  After a

strikeout, Garrett Williams doubled just inside the line past third to score Jurich.  Eric Cochran singled to drive in Nichelson

for a 3-1 lead.

Bales started the home half of third with a double to the right field corner.  Gill doubled to left to plate Braxton Lee who was

the courtesy runner for Bales.  Jonathan Hickman came on as the courtesy runner for Gill and scored on Jurich's single to

center.  Nichelson and Brett Milner were both hit by a pitch, the 41st and 42nd of the year for Picayune batters, to load the

bases.  Williams then belted another double to score Jurich and Nichelson.   Cochran drove in the last run of the inning with

a ground out to short that brought in Milner for a 8-1 lead.

Photo by Jill Lee

Evan Nichelson arrives at third base against Poplarville in Picayune's 11-1 win.

Picayune closed out the scoring with three runs in the bottom of the fourth.  Bales reached on an error and courtesy runner Lee

was picked off first base.  After a fly out,  Jurich reached on a two out error.  Nichelson doubled off the base of the left center

field wall moving Jurich to third.  Brett Milner's fly ball to right was dropped by the right fielder allowing Jurich and Nichelson

to score.   Williams then stroked his third double of the game into the left center gap scoring Milner to make it 11-1.

Photo by Jill Lee

Eric Cochran chases down a fly ball in left field.

Gill went the five innings striking out 9, allowed just 2 hits, and issued three base on balls in moving his record to 3-1.

Picayune (15-3, 11-1) will play at home on Saturday against Gulfport in a varsity game at 4:00pm in what appears to be the

regular season finale. 

The Maroon Tide will open the Class 4A South State Playoffs on Friday, April 17th at the #4 seed from Region 6.  

In Region 6, Lawrence County is the top seed, followed by Brookhaven (2nd) and McComb (3rd).  The fourth seed will be

either Forest Hill,  Florence, or Mendenhall.