MA wins district championship

It’s a three-step process, according to Marshall Academy Head Baseball Coach Bruce Branch, and his Patriots can check off step one.

MA claimed its second consecutive district crown and moves on to the state playoffs next week.

“You can’t look too far ahead,” Branch said. “We know the ultimate goal (a state championship), but it’s a three-step process — district, north state championship and then state. We have to do this, this and this to get to the ultimate.”

The Patriots, going into a regular season finale at Rossville Christian Academy (Tenn.) on Tuesday of this week, are 13-1 in District 1-4A. Last year they were 9-0 in district play.

“The expectations to accomplish that goal again were pivotal in our eyes,” Branch said. “That’s a goal we set every year, and it’s the first big step to the postseason, getting that number one seed.”

The route to a second consecutive district title faced a challenge when the Patriots lost game one of their series versus Oak Hill Academy. But they bounced back to take the next two and then win three versus Kirk Academy.

“We had some adversity and had to take care of business,” Branch said. “The kids rose up and answered the bell. I’m proud of them.”

MA started last week with an 11-0 win over Class 5A public school Lake Cormorant.

The Patriots put the Gators away early, scoring nine runs in the bottom of the first.

Leading a 14-hit attack were Walker Sanders with two hits and four runs-batted-in, Rusty Bolden with two hits and two RBIs, and Landon Houston and Colton Neal with two hits and an RBI each. Bonds drove in a couple of runs and also getting one hit each were Colton Atherton, Matt Bourdon, Jace Reason, Jack Smith and Jamie Graves.

Sanders started on the mound and got the win. In three innings of work, he struck out three, walked none and gave up one hit. Houston threw an inning. He struck out three, walked one and gave up a hit. Hayden Lundine pitched an inning. He struck out two, walked none and gave up a hit.

MA then swung back into district play on Tuesday of last week with a home sweep of Rossville.

The Patriots got 22 hits in the two games, with each lasting just four innings. They won both 13-0.

Sanders carried the hottest bat in game one. He had three of the team’s 13 hits, and drove in a couple of runs. Bonds had a pair of hits and two RBIs. Smith had two hits and an RBI. Atherton had two hits, including a triple. Neal and Bolden each drove in two runs. Also adding one hit each were Bourdon and Gage Gardner.

Bourdon, returning from an injury, pitched all four innings and picked up the victory. He struck out four, walked two and gave up two hits.

The second game April 12 was basically a repeat of the first. The MA bats produced nine hits, and the team got a strong pitching performance from Jackson Graves.

Atherton blasted a home run and a triple and drove in a pair of runs. Bolden also had two hits and two RBIs, and Jamie Graves two hits and an RBI. Bourdon and Gardner each drove in two runs and Houston had a hit.

In four innings on the mound, Jackson Graves fanned five, gave up only one hit and walked two.

At USA Baseball Stadium Marshall collided with a

couple of much larger schools Saturday at USA Baseball Stadium in Millington, Tenn., and lost a pair of close ones.

The Patriots carried a 1-0 lead to the fifth over Christian Brothers (Memphis, Tenn.) but ended up on the short end of a 4-2 score.

The Purple Wave scored three in the bottom of the fifth and added one in the sixth. MA’s other run came in the top of the sixth.

Marshall outhit Christian Brothers nine to five but left seven runners on base.

Getting two hits each for the Pats were Atherton and Houston. Adding a hit each were Bolden, Sanders, Colton Foster, Steven Thornton and Jamie Graves.

Colton Foster started and took the loss. He struck out one, walked two, and gave up three runs and four hits. In relief, Sanders struck out three, walked two and gave up one run and one hit.

In their second game of the day, the Patriots had Magnolia Heights on the ropes late but couldn’t hang on, falling 7-6.

Four runs in the top of the seventh put MA up 6-3.

However, the Chiefs scored three in the bottom of the seventh to send the game to an extra inning, and they won it in the bottom of the eighth.

Marshall had eight hits. Sanders had two hits and three RBIs and Bolden two hits, one of those a triple, and two RBIs. Getting one hit each were Atherton, Bourdon, Foster and Jamie Graves.

MA used three pitchers — Bourdon (five innings), Bolden (two innings) and Atherton (one inning). They combined to strike out eight, walk just three and give up 10 hits.

The Patriots (24-6) faced Rossville April 19, and then they will meet the number four team from District 2-4A in a best-of-three series next week to start the playoffs.