Six teams left Pearl with Gold Gloves for their trophy cases after winning MHSAA baseball championships at Trustmark Park, home of the Southern League Mississippi Braves.
6A -- Northwest Rankin scored an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth for a 3-2 victory over DeSoto Central in the decisive game.
After DeSoto Central pushed across a run in the top of the sixth to tie the game at 2-2, the Cougars loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the inning on two singles and a hit batter and the winning run scored when an infield grounder by winning pitcher Ryan Herbison was mishandled. Tyler Pearson doubled with one out in the DeSoto seventh, but Herbison closed out the game with two strikeouts.
Northwest Rankin won the first game 9-5 and DeSosto Central the second game 11-3. It was the second championship for Northwest Rankin, which finished 33-3.
6A was the only series that went to a decisive game played Sunday afternoon.
5A -- East Central won its third championship with 3-2 and 7-3 wins over Neshoba Central. The Hornets won the first game on a walk off double by Brandt Dickerson.
The result was a reversal of the 5A softball championship series where Neshoba Central swept East Central.
4A – Sumrall closed out a dominating season with 6-5 and 11-4 wins over Pontotoc. The Bobcats scored four runs in the seventh inning of the series opener to force extra innings, then won it on a walk off single by Ethan Aultman in the eighth.
Sumrall finishes 35-1, the lone loss coming against Greene County in a playoff series. It was Sumrall's sixth championship, the previous five coming in 3A.
On its way to the finals, Pontotoc defeated Kosciusko 9-8 in the decisive game of a second round series.
3A – Amory easily won its third championship, but first since 1999, with 9-1 and 11-1 victories over Seminary. Bo Rock was series MVP for Amory. He pitched a six-inning two-hitter in the clinching game and drove in three runs.
The one bright spot for Seminary was a home run by Eli McNease for the Bulldogs' run in the second game.
2A – East Union won a third championship with 13-2 and 9-4 wins over Stringer. The Urchins closed out the first game with nine runs in the fifth inning.
Ethan Hitt was series MVP with seven RBIs in the two games.
1A – Two strong pitching performances resulted in Resurrection's first championship with 3-1 and 4-0 victories over Biggersville. J. T. Schooner pitched a five hitter with five strikeouts in the first game and Joe Scarborough followed with a two-hitter and six strikeouts in the clincher.
Resurrection swept French Camp in the second round of the playoffs and Ethel in the South State final.
