The offense for Yazoo County’s baseball team carried them to three more victories over the weekend, bringing their record to 11-3.
The two wins gave Yazoo County five straight.
Yazoo County head baseball coach Corbin Ellis has tinkered with the lineup some in recent weeks, and he believes everyone playing well together has created the well-oiled machine.
“Our bats are staying hot with 28 hits over those three games,” Ellis said. “Cody Parker stays consistent and collects hits from the 9 hole, freshmen Ben Luckett is gaining more confidence at the plate every game and starting to drive in runs from the 8 hole, Cailton and Trevor are starting to see the ball well and drive in runs. Terrance Milsap moved from the 1 hole to the 2 hole and has been hitting the ball hard over the last few games. Taylor Nash is comfortable at the 1 spot because he always finds a way to get on base. Talyn and Jamari are seeing the ball well and staying consistent.”
In game one against Ruleville Central, the Panthers jumped up to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning.
After a scoreless second inning, the Panthers racked up six more runs to make it a 10-0 game.
The Panthers put things away in the fifth inning when Cody Parker scored the 11th and final run, making the final 11-0.
Yazoo County scored 11 runs on nine hits with only one error.
Trevor Leal pitched a five inning shutout to earn the win on the mound. He gave up only two hits and walked one with 11 strikeouts.
Talyn Shaffer and Cailton Shaffer each went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored.
Jamari Brown went 2-for-2 with a double, a walk and two runs scored.
On Saturday morning, the Panthers faced off with divisional opponent Velma Jackson.
And the results were similar to those of the Ruleville Central game.
The Panthers scored three runs in the first inning thanks to RBIs from Trevor Leal and Ben Luckett to give them a 3-0 lead.
The second and third innings were a defensive struggle with neither team able to put up a run.
In the fourth inning, the Panthers of Amanda Elzy bounced back with a run of their own to cut the lead to 3-1.
All Amanda Elzy’s run did was irritate Yazoo County.
The Panthers from the Swamp came back in the bottom of the fourth and scored three more runs to extend their lead to 6-1.
In the fifth inning, Yazoo County scored five more runs to push the lead to 11-1, ending the game due to the “mercy rule.”
Yazoo County scored 11 runs on 11 hits and seven walks and committed no errors.
Talyn Shaffer pitched an absolute gem in the conference win, giving up one run (0 ER) on two hits in five innings with four walks and 11 strikeouts.
Ben Luckett had a huge game in the win over Amanda Elzy. He went 2-for-2 with a double and three RBIs
Trevor Leal also continued his hot streak with a 3-for-3 effort with a walk, two runs scored and three RBIs.
The final game of the three game stretch was a big step up in competition against the Rebels from Tri-County.
After getting the lead-off batter on base by a hit by pitch, Tri-County took a 1-0 lead with an RBI single.
The second inning had a similar set of circumstances (walk, stolen base and single) that led to another run by Tri-County, giving them a 2-0 lead.
The Panthers struck back in the bottom of the second with three runs thanks to singles and walks, giving them a 3-2 lead.
After a scoreless third inning, Tri-County went back up 4-3 after two walks and two doubles.
Tri-County added another run to their lead in the top of the fifth inning after a walk and a couple of hits to make it a 5-3 game.
Life flooded the Panthers in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Four singles, a walk, a hit by pitch and a fielder’s choice allowed Yazoo County to take a 7-5 lead.
With a man on second and no outs, Yazoo County’s Cody Parker had a diving catch for the first out of the inning. The Rebels proceeded to get a bloop single to get runners on the corners with one out. Jamari Brown then struck out a batter and got the next batter to pop out to center to end the game at 7-5.
The Panthers scored seven runs on nine hits and three walks. They were also perfect in the field, committing no errors.
Jamari Brown earned the win after pitching a complete game, giving up five runs on eight hits with six walks and six strikeouts.
Brown also went 2-for-3 at the plate with a sacrifice fly, an RBI and a run scored.
Terrance Milsap and Ben Luckett each went 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
Next up for the Panthers is a home contest against East Side on Friday night.
The first pitch is set for 6 p.m.
