By By Jeff Byrd/staff writer
April 7, 2002
QUITMAN A three-run rally in the top of the seventh led Clarkdale to a surpising 6-5 win over 15th-ranked Quitman here at Panther Field on Saturday night.
Clarkdale took advantage of three walks, a hit-batsman and a base hit to grab three runs to erase the 5-3 deficit. The loss was the second in the past three games for the Division 5-4A leading Panthers.
Quitman, who beat Mendenhall 10-0 earlier in the day in a key divisional match-up, falls to 20-6 overall. The Panthers are 8-2 in the division with their final two league games set for this week.
Clarkdale improves to 12-13 with the win. The Bulldogs are also battling for a playoff berth in Division 5-2A and own a 4-1 league mark with three division games left.
Bulldog coach Charles King credited his team's scrappy nature for the comeback win.
Quitman starter Anthony McKenzie took a 5-3 lead to the seventh. McKenzie had retired nine straight to open the game. But in the seventh, he walked pinch-hitter Calvin Eastman and then gave up a single to Brandon Mabry that was enough to send Eastman to third.
That was all for coach Brett Rigby who pulled McKenzie in favor of freshman Jamie Shirley. Shirley walked Michael Davis to load the bases.
Justin Brewer then drew a walk to score Eastman to make it 5-4. Justin Hinson was then hit by a pitch sending Mabry home with the tying run.
Out went Shirley for Quitman ace Matthew Creighton who earlier fanned 13 in the 10-0 romp of Mendenhall. Creighton fanned his first man, but Dusty Webb battled hard fouling off three tough pitches.
Webb then got a ground ball to the right side to score Davis with the goahead run to make it 6-5. Creighton then struck out the next batter to end the inning.
In the Panther seventh, Auston Edwards ripped a one-out triple to give Quitman a golden chance at retying the game.
Mabry, the Quitman reliever, had other ideas. He got Adam Neal on a failed two-strike bunt attempt, then fanning the next batter to end the game, right as pinch-runner Lorenzo White tried to steal home.
Panther coach Brett Rigby was disappointed his team didn't put the Bulldogs away earlier.
Quitman grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first off a single by Lamarcus Anderson and a sacrifice fly by Jonathan Russell. It went to 3-0 in the second when Anderson drove in Shirley.
Clarkdale got two back in the fourth when Mabry and Davis scored following a RBI single by Brian May and fly out RBI by Webb.
Quitman answered with two runs in the fifth when Blake Pippin and Auston Edwards scored on perfectly executed squeeze bunts by Neal and Billy Scrimpshire.
Clarkdale made it 5-3 in the sixth when Brewer reached on an error and then scored on a single by Alex Taylor.
Edwards led Quitman with a double and a triple. Anderson drove in two and stole four more bases.
Clarkdale got two runs each from Mabry and Davis. Webb knocked in two. Mabry got the win in relief while Shirley took the loss.
Quitman 10
Mendenhall 0
Matthew Creighton fanned 13 in firing a one-hitter to beat Mendenhall 10-0.
Creighton moves to 8-1 on the season.
He also did the job at the plate with two big triples to key the Panther offense. Quitman finished with 12 hits in all.