SUMRALL – Later this week, the Sumrall Bobcats will play for theClass 2A South Mississippi baseball championship. Because onSaturday night, they defeated Wesson 7-3 to eliminate the Cobrasfrom the second round of the playoffs.

“I can’t believe we’re here,” Sumrall catcher Ryan Whitfieldsaid. “At the

beginning of the year, I just wouldn’t have believed it.”

But believe it now, because the Bobcats are playing in highgear. On Saturday, pitcher Garon Smith worked the outside corner ofthe plate to perfection, limiting the Cobras to only four hits. Andwhile Wesson ran itself out of a couple of innings, Sumrall madeeverything count, from bloop singles to just being in the rightplace defensively the times Wesson hit the ball hard.

“We had a little bit of luck, but we knew we could win,” saidcenter fielder

Jerry Bourne, whose first bloop single drove in two runs in thesecond inning and whose second bloop single drove in one run in thesixth.

“I didn’t really think we’d still be playing. I didn’t think ourhitting was good enough. But we’ve had a lot of young guys step up.We’re confident now. We know we can beat anybody.”

Sumrall finished the regular season with a 12-11 record. Thatwas just the

preliminaries, according to Bobcats coach Randy Lott.

“We’re 4-0 after the regular season,” Lott said. “That’s theonly thing that matters.”

Sumrall meets Seminary this week for the South State 2Achampionship in another best-of-three series.

Sumrall struck quickly Saturday, scoring one run in the firstinning when Neil Sumrall doubled down the left-field line andWhitfield doubled him home with another double down the left-fieldline.

The Bobcats made it 3-0 in the second inning. Mason Moore washit by a pitch and Smith walked. Allen Smith singled with a bloopsingle to right field to load the bases. Bourne singled in two runsand Allen Smith scored on a double steal.

Wesson closed the gap to 4-2 in the fourth inning. JosephLangham lined a Smith pitch over the center-field fence for thefirst run and, after an error and a fielder’s choice, Wessonpitcher Kyle Smith singled home Warren.

“(Smith) was consistently hitting his spots,” Whitfield said.”When he missed, he missed low. The key was his location. He madeone mistake, and they hit it for a home run.”

Sumrall made it 5-2 in the fifth inning when Kyle Smith put apitch in Joah Baggett’s wheelhouse, and Baggett put it deep overthe left-field fence for a solo home run.

Langham started off the sixth by reaching second on an error ona hard-hit grounder, which also was misplayed in the outfield foranother error. He went to third on a passed ball and scored onanother Sumrall infield error.

Although Wesson hit two line drives in the inning, both wereright at Sumrall defensive players.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Bobcats added two more insuranceruns, using a walk, Wesson’s only error, a double by Garon Smithand and run-scoring single by Jerry Bourne.

Two Wesson runners reached base in the seventh, but Smith gotout of the jam.

“I kept pitching low and outside, and they kept hitting it onthe ground,” he

said.

Lott praised Smith for his pitching, even after he doused hiscoach with a few drops from the team water cooler. “He doesn’toverpower you, but he locates good. Bourne throws 87 miles per hourand Smith comes back and throws 75.

“The whole team is overachievers. It’s the first time in 11years Sumrall

has been in the playoffs. They’ve done a lot – a lot more thanthey thought they could.”

Wesson, coached by Phillip Knight, ends its best-ever seasonwith an 18-9 record.