Purvis is 2-8 against Oak Grove since March of 2020 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. The Purvis Tornadoes will venture away from home to face off against the Oak Grove Warriors at 2:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Purvis comes in on seven and Oak Grove on three.
Purvis proved they can win big on Tuesday (they won by six) and on Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They skirted past Harrison Central 6-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Tornadoes have posted since April 27, 2024.
JoJo Parker was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing four bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 1.2 stolen bases per game.
Kade Lawler
| 02/28/25 vs Harrison Central | 5 |
| 02/22/25 vs Wayne County | 2 |
| 02/17/25 vs South Jones | 4 |
| 02/13/25 vs Ocean Springs | 3 |
| 02/10/25 @ Wayne County | 1 |
| + 4 more games |
In other pitching news, Kade Lawler looked comfortable as he pitched 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March of 2024.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Drew Swan, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and four RBI.
Meanwhile, everything went Oak Grove's way against D'Iberville on Friday as Oak Grove made off with a 14-4 win. The result was nothing new for Oak Grove, who have now won three matches by ten runs or more so far this season.
Christopher Poole looked comfortable as he pitched 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off five hits.
On the hitting side, Eric Booth Jr was incredible, going 3-for-5 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. That triple was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Kendrell Roberts, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Oak Grove always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .550. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as D'Iberville only posted an OBP of .333.
Purvis pushed their record up to 8-1 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.7 runs over those games. As for Oak Grove, they picked up their first road win, bumping their record up to 6-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Purvis has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Oak Grove struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Purvis' way against Oak Grove in their previous matchup last Friday, as Purvis made off with a 14-6 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Purvis since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
