Photos by Barry Burleson
Marshall Academy’s Zane Looney delivers a pitch to a Tupelo Christian batter.
Tommy Rodgers (left) and Terry Rodgers throw out the first pitches of the tournament.
Photo by Theresa Bolden-Devore
Family members gather for a photo at the start of the Tracy Rodgers Memorial Tournament. Pictured are Thomas Rodgers, Steve Rodgers, Susan Rodgers, Whitt Rodgers, Ava Rodgers, John Rodgers, Sharon Blackard, Ashley Blackard-Justice, Ciera Justice, Nicole Wehling, Terry Rodgers, Vickie Rodgers, Tommy Rodgers, Rebecca Rodgers and baby Hayes Rodgers.
Tracy Rodgers Memorial Tournament
• MA beats North Delta, falls to TCPS
BARRY BURLESON
Sports Writer
It was a cool night at Patriot Field March 10 but the Marshall Academy bats were red hot.
MA had 16 hits in a 14-4 rout of North Delta School on the first day of the Tracy Rodgers Memorial Tournament.
And the pitching was on fire, too, for the Pats. Peyton Taylor struck out nine as he went the distance for the win.
North Delta left the bases loaded in the top of the first.
In the bottom of the first, MA scored four to take a lead it would never relinquish.
Taylor recorded three of his strikeouts in the top of the second, all on curve balls.
Ethan Hilton led off the bottom of the third for the Patriots with a solo home run that quickly cleared the fence in left-center field. It was 6-0.
Marshall would add four more in the inning to go up 10-0, two of those scoring when Wil Summerlin connected for a triple,
The Green Wave got to within 10-4 in the top of the fifth.
But MA scored one in its half of the fifth and three more in the bottom of the sixth to end it on the 10-run rule.
Getting three hits, to lead the offense in the win, was Boyce McKinney. Adding two each were Jacob Gadd, Wesley Bolden, Hilton, Zane Looney and Wyle McMillen. Patriots with one hit were Tyler Bolden, Taylor and Summerlin.
North Delta had eight hits.
Marshall-TCPS
The second day of the tournament, the Patriots dropped a 10-5 decision to Tupelo Christian.
With the score tied at 2 going to the bottom of the third, Hilton picked up a hit and two runs-batted-in to put the Pats up 4-2. W. Bolden followed with an RBI-single and MA was 5-2.
TCPS bounced back to tie the game in the top of the fourth and then took a three-run advantage, 8-5, in the top of the fifth.
Marshall could not rally on the cold afternoon at Patriot Field.
Looney pitched five innings and took the loss. Summerlin pitched two innings of relief.
The Eagles had 11 hits and the Patriots eight.
Gadd was the offensive leader for MA with two hits. Getting one each were T. Bolden, Hilton, McMillen, Looney, W. Bolden and Summerlin.
The annual tournament at Marshall Academy pays tribute to Tracy Rodgers, a former student athlete who attended MA from 1969-1979. He was killed during his junior year (October 1979) in a tragic car accident.
The Patriots hosted Alcorn Central on Monday evening of this week. They will visit Heritage Academy Friday at 4 p.m. and then go to West Memphis Christian (Ark.) next Tuesday, March 28, at 4 p.m.