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MA wins district; playoffs next By BARRY BURLESON
The Marshall Academy Patriots received their district championship T-shirts Thursday. This week they begin a quest for a much bigger prize. MA, sporting a 6-0 district mark and 25-3 overall record, starts the Class AA state playoffs with a best two-of-three series versus Central Hinds Academy. The first game was set for Tuesday evening in Holly Springs. Game two is Thursday at 6 p.m. on the road and game three (if necessary) will swing back to Marshall Friday at 6 p.m. “It’s nice to win district, but we’re not finished,” said head coach Jimmy Hicks, in his fourth season at the helm. “I’m proud of what this team has accomplished. They’ve worked hard. Now the kids realize this is a special opportunity, and we’re looking forward to it. The kids are excited about the postseason. “It’s good for the school; it’s good for the town. I hope everybody will come out and support this team.” It’s the school’s first trip to the state baseball playoffs since 2003, then as district runner-up. “We want to build a baseball tradition at Marshall,” Hicks said. “We want to get to the playoffs every year and have a chance to win it all.” This 2007 edition of the Patriots did its part last week - starting with a nail-biting, 3-2 win in Clarksdale over district foe Lee Academy. Hitting was scarce. Each team had two. The big one for MA came in the top of the seventh. With the score tied at 1, Tyler Sanders slapped a single up the middle with the bases loaded, scoring two runs. In the bottom of the seventh, winning pitcher Shane Campbell gave up a solo home run, but more importantly, got two pop-ups and a grounder for the three outs. Campbell, in going the distance, struck out five and “did a tremendous job,” Hicks said. He threw just 71 pitches in the game. Meanwhile, Lee’s top pitcher, Patrick Clark, threw in the low 80s with a good breaking pitch and struck out 10. “He kept us off balance all afternoon,” Coach Hicks said. The Patriots’ only other hit was another single from Sanders, this one in the first inning. “It was a big win for our program. It clinched the district championship,” Hicks said. Marshall then closed out the regular season Thursday at home with an 12-1 rout of district foe Delta Academy. The Patriots produced five runs in the second and seventh in the third inning. Sanders was again the top man from the plate with two singles. Getting a double each were Tyler Childers, Bo Bonds, Mitchell Cartwright and Caleb Byrd. Adding a single each were Hunter Bolden and Justin Gray. Will Patton picked up the mound win. He struck out six and gave up four hits in four innings of work. Byrd threw one inning, striking out three and giving up one hit. In addition to the T-shirts, the Patriots also received a steak supper after the game. Playoffs The winner of the Marshall Academy-Central Hinds series will advance to the second round next week and face either Winston Academy or Manchester Academy. Other first-round series in the North Half include Simpson Academy versus Leake Academy and Lee (Clarksdale) versus Carroll Academy. The South Half bracket includes Porter’s Chapel versus Columbia Academy, Central Private versus Oak Forest, Brookhaven Academy versus Copiah Academy and Franklin Academy versus Silliman Institute. “We just have to keep getting better,” Coach Hicks said. “We can’t be complacent.” Report News:
(662) 252-4261 or south@dixie-net.com
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