Leopards dominate Warren in 4A-South semifinals

MALVERN — Jace Turner had a strong performance on the mound and at the plate as he and Demias Jimerson led Malvern to a 16-5 win over Warren in the 4A-South Regional tournament Malvern National Bank Field at Morrison Park Saturday.

The Leopards (23-6) took control of the game early, but a nine-run fifth inning left Warren (16-14) playing catch-up as Malvern sent the Lumberjacks to the third-place game against Nashville.

“They got the momentum early off of us,” said Warren head coach Michael Milum. “They came out hot and got the momentum early. They’re a good team; they throw strikes, and they put a lot of pressure on you defensively. We were just in a hole that was hard to dig out of.”

The Leopards picked up a pair of runs off their first two batters in the top of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead, but Warren responded with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning.

Malvern committed an error that led to the run as a throw to first was dropped, allowing Treylon Burks to reach base. Advancing to third with one out on a single, the junior scored on a sacrifice fly for the team’s only run until the bottom of the fifth inning.

The Leopards scored three in the top of the second inning and another pair of runs in the top of the third to take a 7-1 lead. The Lumberjacks changed pitchers in the middle of the second after starter Luke Gorman gave up five runs off five hits and four walks.

After a scoreless fourth inning, Malvern forced another pitching change with both having issues with double-setting, resulting in several balks and a run for the Leopards.

“We had to do everything we could to get here to today,” Milum said. “We felt like if we got here, we’d roll with what we have, so that’s what we went with.”

With the Leopards at the top of their order in the top of the fifth, all but Parker Freer scored a run in the inning. The junior infielder was forced out at second after an RBI single to plate Jacobe Hart. Jimerson was

beaned twice in the inning, scoring two runs.

“We had a good offensive day from everybody,” said Malvern head coach Matthew Weigand. “We needed that. We got the run-rule, and that will save some pitching. It was good.”

Turner earned the win in five full innings on the mound, giving up four earned runs off eight hits and two walks while striking out two.

“Jace, every time he goes out, he’s a competitor,” Weigand said. “He’s going compete, and he’s going to throw strikes; he’s going to let his defense work behind him. We’re confident in all our pitchers, any one we throw up there; they’re all competitors.”

The Leopards’ ace, Jimerson, was on mandatory rest after pitching a full 110 pitches in Thursday’s 6-5 win over Monticello.

“D stepped up big,” Weigand said of Jimerson’s performance Thursday. “We had to win that one to get to the state tournament. This game was just about saving enough pitching for the championship game to try and get that bye.”

Jimerson scored four runs off one hit with one RBI in two at-bats for the Leopards while Turner went 3-for-3 with a pair of singles and a double, three runs and one RBI. All nine Malvern batters crossed the plate for at least one run in the game.

Gorman collected the loss for Warren without a single strikeout. Lain Millerd had three innings in relief, giving up 11 runs off 13 hits and a walk, and Cade Reap closed out the game with one inning in relief, striking out one while giving up just one hit.

Burks led the Lumberjacks offensively, going 2-for-3 at the plate with a single and a double with two runs scored.

“He’s a great player, a great kid, with everything he does,” Milum said. “We lean on him a lot. He’s a big-time competitor and a great athlete, so we feel like we always have a chance as long as he’s up there. We had a couple guys who swung it pretty well. We just had a hard time getting the big hits, getting the momentum going in our direction.”

Overall, Weigand said he was pleased with his team’s performance.

“It was a complete day from everybody on offense,” he said. “Everybody contributed; everybody did their jobs, ran the bags well, good bunting, just good all-around offensive baseball.”

The Leopards faced Ashdown in the tournament final Saturday evening.