BOGUE CHITTO — A 4-3 win for Bogue Chitto in the first game of a varsity doubleheader placed the weight of the series on the third and final game against Loyd Star. The Hornets won 15-2 scoring 11 of those runs in the final two innings.

Through five innings of play, Bogue Chitto was down 4-2 and had the bases loaded. Hornets pitcher Carter Holcomb came in and shut down the Bobcat rally with two strikeouts and a popup to get out of the jam.

He would throw three scoreless innings, strikeout five batters and give up just one hit on the night.

“The first game wasn’t good. We picked it up in the second game. I feel good going into spring break. We are hot,” Holcomb said. “I felt good on the mound. My arm felt good. It was the best I had felt all year. It was all about throwing strikes.”

Loyd Star’s sixth and seventh inning exploded with timely hitting and led to a 13 run advantage. The Hornets scored three runs in the sixth and eight runs in the seventh. Bogue Chitto made four errors in the ball game and the costly errors came in those two innings.

On Monday, Loyd Star will travel to Southwest Mississippi Community College to play Simpson Academy. First pitch will be at 5 p.m. and is Varsity only. Holcomb said he has never played at Southwest “I figure it will be pretty fun,” he added.

The Hornets are chasing a trip to a state championship this year and their coaches are pushing them towards it. Despite a 13 run win, Loyd Star’s coaching staff was challenging them to not get complacent and to keep up their intensity. Holcomb said their pitching and hitting could get better.

Across the diamond, Bogue Chitto head coach Gareth Sartin spoke to his team as they circled around on one knee. They play Enterprise Monday during spring break with JV at 2p.m.  and Varsity at 4 p.m.

“Defense has to be consistent. We won the first game because of it. Pitching and defense will win us ballgames,” he told his team. “We still have a chance to have a good year. It was 4-2 in the fifth. They will either be in the south state round or third round of the playoffs. You have to rely on defense, you can’t rely on hitting. The 19 out of 21 innings we played, we played tough.”

Sartin continued his speech to the team. “I don’t want any of y’all to go home and think I’m the reason we lost the ball game. Never one play will be the reason we lost the ball game. Over 21 outs, we had other chances to score runs. It was a good series. We played well for most of the innings. We can’t let the snowballs get rolling and we have to get consistent. It doesn’t matter who we play.”