Jason Berry (above) and David Coody combined for over 20 strikeouts during Tuesday night’s 3-2 victory for Manchester Academy over Benton Academy. Coody struck out five straight batters in the game and Berry had eight straight.By TAYLOR MITCHELL
Sports Editor

At one point Tuesday night, starting pitchers David Coody for Manchester and Jason Berry for Benton combined to strikeout 11 straight batters in a classic pitcher’s duel. However, the Mavericks found a way to score some runs and hold on to their unblemished record in a 3-2 victory.
The first at-bat of the game, though, set the tone for a much different game. Demarcus Mahone stroked Berry’s second pitch of the game to right field for a double. The next batter, Will Bearden, put the ball just past the infield to score Mahone for an early 1-0 lead.
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Kelsey Anderson (17) had a two-run double against St. Joe’s during Tuesday’s 8-2 victory.By TAYLOR MITCHELL
Sports Editor

MADISON – The Lady Panthers of Yazoo County won their third game of the season over Madison St. Joe’s 8-2 Tuesday night. However, the 3-0 record to start the season isn’t the most astonishing stat.
The most eye-opening stat is that Yazoo County has yet to commit an error this season.
“They’re not hitting the ball much and that goes to the pitching,” Yazoo County head coach Grant Andrews said. “These girls in the field have experience from playing in the summer and last season, so we’re not young experience-wise. Plus, they aren’t scared to make plays.”
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The good times keep on coming for Fletcher Cox. Cox wrapped up a strong performance at the NFL scouting combine this past week, putting him in position for a high draft selection.By TAYLOR MITCHELL
Sports Editor

This past week NFL hopefuls from across the country descended upon Indianapolis for a chance to show they have what it takes to be selected in next April’s draft. One of those trying to impress NFL scouts, coaches, general managers and owners was Yazoo City’s own Fletcher Cox.
And impress is exactly what Cox, who announced late last year he’d be leaving Mississippi State a year early to pursue his NFL dreams, did over the four-day event.
The 6-foot 4-inch defensive tackle weighed in at 298 pounds, which wasn’t the highest. What Cox did finish first in is even more impressive, though. With a 40-yard dash time of 4.79 seconds, Cox finished with the fastest time among defensive tackles.
His performance at the scouting combine had one former great defensive lineman comparing Cox to himself.
“People always ask me every year, ‘Which guy do you see, Sapp, that really reminds you of yourself,” Warren Sapp, a four time All-Pro defensive tackle said during the NFL Networks’ coverage of the combine on Monday. “I look at the tape, and this is the one guy. Long arms, big hands, that size - 290, 300 pounds.”
Other drills Cox excelled in was the bench press, where he lifted 225 lbs. 30 times and a 26-inch vertical jump. Combine those things with his 34.5-inch arm length and Cox seems to fit the mold of an NFL defensive tackle. According to some experts, Cox is rated as high as the third-best defensive tackle.
“I think he’s in the top three in terms of the defensive tackles in this class, and it’s a deep defensive tackle class,” ESPN’s Todd McShay said on ESPN’s “First Draft” podcast.
The NFL Draft is set to run April 26-28, but Cox won’t have to wait long to hear his name called. It’s widely believed that Cox will go either in the mid-to-late first round.

The Mitchell ReportI never could have been a pitcher. My dad tells me I could throw the ball by any batter, but where it was headed was a mystery. Pitching, though, is something I’ve always been fascinated with.
How do you manipulate the ball to curve or slide like it does? How does a pitcher know where to release the ball for it to go exactly where he wants it to go? Why is a left-handed pitcher harder to hit than a right-handed one?
There are a million things that go through my mind when watching a pitcher. Tuesday night, however, was a different night.
Benton Academy’s Jason Berry and Manchester Academy’s David Coody put on a pitching clinic (albeit without the most consistent umpire behind the plate). Berry and Coody combined for 25 strikeouts, including 11 straight outs by strikeouts. It was fascinating to watch batter after batter after batter walk up to the plate, take a couple swings, watch a ball go by or two and head back to the dugout shaking their head (or throwing their helmet).
I’ve seen more baseball in my life than any other sport, including football. So, naturally I’ve seen great pitching performances on all different levels. I once coached a little league team in Cleveland where my pitcher threw a no-hitter. I’ve seen high school pitchers throw no-hitters before, too.  I had the good luck to watch Caleb Reed (Mississippi State’s All-SEC closer) dominate opposing batters in high school. I’ve even seen a no-hitter in the MLB by some guy named Nolan Ryan (I was there for the seventh no-hitter).