Sumrall reached perfection in its baseball season by completing a two-game sweep of South Pontotac in the Class 3A state finals at Trustmark Park in Pearl last weekend. The Bobcats finished the season with a 36-0 record and are ranked No. 4 in this week's MaxPreps National Xcellent 25.
Jackson Posey left no doubt about the outcome for Sumrall, blasting a three-run homer in the first inning of the final game. From there, the Bobcats went on to complete an 11-1 victory.
Jared Miller was the winning pitcher in the final game of the two-game sweep, as he struck out eight, walked two and hit one batter on his way to his 11th straight win.
Sumrall won its second straight state championship. New Hope's 1996 squad is the only other school in modern Mississippi high school history to run the table.
1A Baseball: St. Aloysius wins state title
St. Aloysius is a state baseball champion in Mississippi for the first time in over 30 years. The Flashes took the Class 1A state title over West Union with a two-game sweep at Trustmark Park in Pearl.
The title-clinching win in the best-of-three series was a 13-2 decision, giving St. Aloysius its first championship hardware since taking the Class BB title in 1976. It was the second straight state title for the Flashes at the time, having won Class B the year before.
St. Aloysius finished its season with a 28-4 record and was 10-1 in the playoffs.
More Baseball: Rain halts remaining state finals
While Class 3A and 1A were able to determine state champions last weekend, rain moved the remaining title series into the next week.
Petal and Madison Central will next meet Tuesday to complete game two of their Class 5A state finals series. Madison Central leads the game 1-0 in the fourth inning with Petal batting and one out in the inning.
Madison Central also has the 1-0 edge in the series and the day Tuesday will become a doubleheader, if Petal claims the resumption of the rained-out action and forces a third game.
Madison Central took the first game of the series 4-2 over Petal, raising the winning team’s record to 26-5, while Petal fell to 26-7.
Brayden Jones raised his pitching record to 9-2 for Madison Central, while Buck Bernard (8-3) took the loss for Petal.
Class 2A and 4A will determine their champions on Monday, weather permitting. St. Andrews and Ackerman meet at 4 PM, followed by the final game between West Lauderdale and East Central in Class 4-A.
Class A Baseball: Gordon leads Porter's Chapel Academy
In the state private school playoffs, Porter's Chapel took its third MPSA Class A championship in the last six years, thanks in part to the efforts of pitcher Luke Gordon. A junior, Gordon had a breakout season this year for PCA, going 4-0 in his last five starts, earning a 1.52 ERA in that span, and allowing just 12 hits.
Throwing in the final game against two-time defending state champion Bayou Academy, Gordon threw 75 pitches, allowing a pair of hits, a walk and one unearned run in seven innings. PCA won the title with a 5-1 victory over Bayou Academy to finish their season with a 25-8 record.
It was the Eagles’ third state championship in a decade.
Gordon and ace pitcher Montana McDaniel will return for the Eagles next season, giving them a good shot at repeating as state champs.
Track: Gulfport standout signs Mississippi State
The track and field recruiting class for the women’s team at Mississippi State has grown by five, including one from Gulfport, as Sojourner Ewing of Gulfport has signed a national letter of intent to compete for the Bulldogs.
“We are excited to have these student-athletes join our team and feel each one brings something that will make our program even better," Mississippi State assistant coach Bryan Fetzer said in a statement. "They are proven winners and hopefully we can make them even better."
The MSU release says Ewing was considered one of the top 10 returning senior high school long jumpers in the USA by Track and Field News. Last year, Sojourner posted the 22nd best long jump in the nation at 19-9.
During this year’s Class 5A championships, Ewing took in the 400-meter dash and sixth in both the 200-meter dash and long jump. She won the 400 meter and 200 meter events at the 5A South State meet.
