MA takes three from rival Kirk

The Marshall Academy baseball team got off to a strong start versus District 1-3A competition last week.

The Patriots swept Kirk Academy, two wins in Grenada and another at home. MA’s win streak went to 15 straight.

“The kids are really competing well,” said coach Bruce Branch, whose Patriots are ranked number one in Class 3A in the state. “They’re playing their tails off. They’re self-motivated.”

That was never more obvious than Friday night at home. MA rallied from a 12-6 deficit in the fifth to beat the Raiders 13-12 in extra innings.

“There’s no quit in this group,” Branch said. “We’re never out of a game.” The Patriots cut its deficit to four

with a run in the bottom of the fifth and another in the sixth. They were down 12-8 going to the bottom of the seventh and scored four runs with two outs.

“We got some things going and put some pressure on them,” Branch said.

Walker Sanders dove home safely on a passed ball to tie the contest and send it to extras. Rusty Bolden, MA’s fourth pitcher of the night, got a ground out and then struck out two in the top of the eighth.

Then in the bottom of the inning, Bolden singled to right field for the walk-off hit. It scored Colton Neal, who had led off the inning with a line-drive hit to right.

“We hung in there long enough and found a way to win the game,” Branch said. “That’s what good teams do.”

MA had 13 hits and Kirk 12. Jordan Bonds led the Patriots’ plate attack. He had three hits and three RBIs, including a home run over the right field fence in the sixth. Bolden was next in line with three hits, including a double, and two RBIs. Devin Sanders had a pair of hits and two RBIs. Jamie Graves drove in three runs, and Colton Atherton had two hits, a triple and a double.

Hunter Peeks, Sanders, Bonds and Bolden all pitched for Marshall. Bolden threw two and two-thirds to close the game out, and he picked up the win.

“Combined, we threw 184 pitches, and that’s not good,” Branch said. “The name of the game is pitching to contact. We have to keep our pitch count down.”

At Grenada Tuesday, MA snatched a 5-2 victory over the Raiders in game one.

Branch said Kirk has a solid team with strong pitching.

“The first game was a tight one,” Branch said.

The Patriots managed five hits, two of those coming from Sanders.

Marshall clung to 3-2 lead going to the seventh and got two more crucial runs in its turn at bat.

Landon Houston started and pitched five and two-thirds innings to get the win.

“He gave us a strong outing,” Branch said.

Houston struck out four, walked one and gave up six hits.

Sanders closed the game, pitching one and a third innings for the save. He gave up one hit and then struck out the last two batters in the bottom of the seventh.

Kirk committed six errors, while Marshall made two.

The Patriots exploded in the second game of the doubleheader, winning 14-6.

Nine of Marshall’s runs came with two outs.

“That was the difference in the ball game — no doubt,” Branch said.

Three Patriots produced three hits each in an 11-hit attack. Bolden led the way with three hits and five runs-batted-in. Sanders had three hits and three RBIs, and Colton Atherton had three hits.

Houston crushed a two-run homer in the top of the fifth to push Marshall’s lead to 11-2.

After falling behind 2-0 in the second, the Patriots scored two in the third, five in the fourth and four in the fifth.

Kirk cut it to 11-5 in the bottom of the fifth. Marshall answered with three in the top of the sixth to lead by nine and then won by eight.

“They jumped on us early, and we were a little shellshocked,” Branch said, “but we responded well.” Jackson Graves was the winning pitcher. In five innings of work, he struck out three, walked three and gave up eight hits. Bolden threw two innings, striking out four, walking none and giving up two hits.

The Patriots stole 10 bases — including five by Bolden and three by Atherton.

That followed six stolen bases in the first game.

“We have some speed, which allows us to do some things other teams might not be able to,” Branch said.

The Patriots (15-1) visited Lee Academy in Clarksdale Monday for a twin bill. They will host the Colts Thursday at 6 p.m. Saturday, they go to Magnolia Heights for a 2 p.m. Match-up. Next Monday, April 5, they host Myrtle at 6 p.m., and next Tuesday, April 6, they host Lee (Marianna, Ark.) at 6 p.m.