May 2, 2009
Bombs Away!!! Tide cruises13-3
by Carey Meitzler
Monticello--The Picayune Maroon Tide rapped out 20 hits, including three home runs, and cruised to a 13-3 win over Lawrence
County to complete their two game sweep of the Cougars. Picayune (22-3) will now face defending Class 4A State Champion
East Central for the South State Championship on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
It didn't take the Maroon Tide long to get a run across as they scored in the top of the first. Bryce Ladner singled to right and
Hunter Gill perfectly executed the sacrifice bunt to move courtesy runner Brett Milner to second base. A wild pitch put Milner
on third base and Jared Bales plated Milner with a sacrifice fly to right field giving Picayune a 1-0 lead.
All photos by Jill Lee
Hunter Gill laids down a sacrifice bunt that put courtesy runner Brett Milner in scoring position.
Starter Bryce Ladner had to work out of tight spots in both the first and second innings with help from infielders.
In the first, with runners on second and third, shortstop Hunter Gill made a smooth play on a sharply hit ball off
the bat of the Cougar's Wesley Wilson. Then, in the second inning with the bases full and two out, Gill snagged
a grounder by Willie Buckley and threw to first where Evan Nichelson stretched out and scooped the throw
out of the dirt to end the inning.
Meanwhile, the Maroon Tide began to assert themselves at the plate. With one out in the top of the second,
Garrett Williams drove a pitch over the right center fence to make it 2-0. In the third, Gill singled to center to
start the inning, but was ruled out at second when he tried to advance on a passed ball. With one out, Bales
walked. After a strikeout, Jay Dedeaux fouled off three before he finally singled to left field to keep the inning
alive. Garrett Williams launched another home run, this time to left center, bring in three runs for a 5-0 lead.
All photos by Jill Lee
Bryce Ladner pitched 5 and 2/3 innings to move his record to 9-0.
Jared Bales awaits a pitch that he deposited over the left center field wall for his 7th home run.
Jared Bales hit a solo home run over the left center field wall in the fourth inning to make it 6-0.
Picayune got three more runs in the fifth. Dedeaux singled to left and was replaced by Jonathan Hickman
as a courtesy runner. Williams singled to right field. After both runners moved up one base on a wild
pitch, Brandon Jurich grounded out to the third driving in Hickman for a 7-0 lead. Jake Riser singled
to center to score Williams for the eighth run. With two outs, Ladner doubled to plate Riser for a 9-0
lead.
Conner Oakes hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth to get Lawrence County on the scoreboard.
Bales doubled down the left field line to start the sixth and was replaced by pinch runner Matt Archer.
Archer moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on Nichelson's groundout to make it 10-1.
With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, Jonathan Hickman relieved Ladner and
induced a grounder to third base where Jurich fielded the ball and touched third to end the inning.
Picayune got three runs in the top of the seventh. Riser, who was on base in all of his plate appearances
and had three hits on the day, doubled into the right field corner to start the inning. Pinch hitter Brett Milner
was hit by a pitch. Hickman singled to center to load the bases. Gill singled to score Riser. After Bales
popped out, Evan Nichelson lofted a sacrifice fly to center that allowed Milner to score making it 12-1.
Dedeaux, who was 4 for 5 on the day, singled to left scoring courtesy runner Ricky Rimkus for the final run.
Hickman allowed to a two run home run by Wesley Wilson in the bottom of the seventh before ended
the game striking out Parkman.
All photos by Jill Lee
Evan "Clutch" Nichelson readies himself to take a throw while holding the Cougars' Carlton Parkman.
Garrett Williams sports his mohawk in the dugout after his second homerun.