Kosciusko took a giant step toward the 4-4A baseball championship with a 10-6 victory over West Lauderdale Monday.
The victory improved the Whippets’ region record to 9-0, one game ahead of West Lauderdale. The teams meet again at Kosciusko Friday in the final region game for both. A Kosciusko victory, or even a loss by three run or less, will give the Whippets the title.
After West Lauderdale tied the score at 6-6 with single runs in the fifth and sixth, Kosciusko scored four times in the top of the seventh.
Kaylan Powell was hit by a pitch from losing pitcher Ian Herrington leading off. Connor Wallace laid down a bunt and beat it out, moving Powell to second. Ethan Wood reached on an error, with Powell scoring to break the tie. After an intentional walk to Ty Ramage, Will Carter singled in Wallace. Ramage scored on a fielder’s choice grounder and Carter completed the scoring with a steal of home.
The Whippets also had a five-run second that included two-run homers by Ramage and Anthony Medine. Commondre Cole had a two-run homer for West Lauderdale.
Carter led a 13-hit attack with a solo homer, a single and a double, two RBIs and three runs scored. Wood and Medine each had two hits.
Connor Wallace, the third Kosciusko pitcher, picked up the win with two innings of hitless relief. He walked three and allowed a run but struck out five.
In games last week, Kosciusko defeated Northeast Lauderdale twice in 4-4A play 13-4 and 11-1, and lost 6-3 to New Hope, a 5A team. The Whippets had 21 hits in the two Northeast Lauderdale games, including three doubles, a triple and two homers.
“We're playing hard, and we're starting to come together and hit our stride,” coach Cole McBride said. “This is where we want to be.”
Parker Ryals went six innings in the 13-4 game, allowing seven hits and two runs with 11 strikeouts. Ramage had a homer and a single with three RBIs, Wood had three hits, scored twice, and drove in a run, Powell tripled, walked twice and scored three runs, Carter and Hayden Rogers doubled and Connor Wallace had two hits. Rogers drove in three runs.
Wood went the distance in the five-inning 11-1 game and had the big bat. On the mound, he gave up three hit and struck out six. At the plate he highlighted the Whippets' seven-run fourth with a grand slam and added a run scoring single in the fifth.
Ethan Wood gets the start on the mound for the Whippets.
Kevin Brunt/The Star-Herald
Carter had two hits and Powell doubled.
Kosciusko fell behind New Hope 2-0 in the first and never caught up. The Whippets scored single runs in the second, sixth and seventh.
Kosciusko had six hits, including two each by Landon Wallace and Medine and Ramage doubled. Hunter Carr was the difference in the game for New Hope with a single, double and homer and three RBIs.
Four Kosciusko pitchers allowed six hits and five earned runs with 12 strikeouts. Landon Wallace fanned six in 2.2 innings and Carter five in 1.2.
The Whippets have a 1 p.m. game with Winona Saturday then close out the regular season next week with non-region games against Germantown, Northwest Rankin and Grenada. Northwest Rankin is the state’s top ranked team. West Lauderdale was second ranked in 4A by the website Scorebook Live prior to Monday’s game.
The playoffs begin April 22 with the top four teams for 4-4A playing the top four from 1-4A in best-of-three series.
