Starkville 9's claim second at South State
LOUISVILLE – A team can respond in a negative way to losing a lead.
That wasn't the case for the Starkville 9-year-old Dizzy Dean All-Stars on Sunday afternoon at Ivy Park.
After having a 5-1 lead going into the sixth and final inning, Starkville saw Morton come back to tie the game 5-5.
Morton stranded the winning run in scoring position, which gave Starkville another chance in extra innings.
Starkville took advantage of that opportunity.
With three runs in the seventh on an inside-the-park home run by Quintin Baker, Starkville was able to defeat Morton 8-6 and capture second place at the South State Tournament. That also secured Starkville's spot in the Overall State Tournament today, which will also be held in Louisville.
Early in the game, it was a pitching duel, but Starkville's offense eventually began producing.
"The pitching in the first three innings with our boy and their boy were both a no-hitters so it was a pitching battle from the very beginning, then we just came back hitting after that," Starkville coach Brantley Johnson said.
Starkville scored three runs in the fourth with a double by Christian Riekhof being a big blow. It added two more runs in the fifth to stretch the lead to 5-1.
| Page 10