Another exciting season of baseball has now come and gone in Foxworth. The West Marion's 2022 postseason run came to an end Saturday in the second round with a loss to Southeast Lauderdale, leaving the Trojans hungry and prepared to strive for even more success on the diamond in 2023.
Both contests of the best-of-three series were highly contested, with both being decided by only two runs. The Trojans fell 6-4 in Game 1 Friday in Meridian after a seventh-inning rally that fell just short in the final moments. Down 6-2 entering the side, West Marion scored on a triple hit by senior Cole Crozier, and moments later Crozier crossed home plate on a passed ball to slice the deficit in half. However, the Tigers managed to stop the bleeding, earning the third out on the following at-bat to win the first game of the series.
Seniors Crozier and Tre' Broom led the way at the plate for the Trojans. Crozier batted 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI, and Broom hit 2-for-4 with a pair of runs. Junior Andrew Singley added 2 RBI with a double in a 1-for-4 performance on the afternoon.
Kolby Stringer started on the mound and pitched four solid innings, allowing only one earned run on six hits. Broom pitched the final two innings and allowed four runs on just one hit surrendered during his stint on the mound.
In a win-or-go-home situation at home Saturday, the Trojans came out swinging with a hot start offensively in Game 2. Three consecutive hits by Singley, Jonathan Miller and Jude Stringer brought home three runs, and Miller scored two at-bats later on a passed ball to give West Marion a comfortable lead in the first inning.
The lead grew thinner over the course of the evening, with Southeast Lauderdale posting five runs over the course of four innings to tie the game in the seventh. Down 6-5 in the eighth, the Tigers hit a two-run walk-off to bring an exciting contest to its end, defeating West Marion 8-6.
Crozier, Singley and Miller each went 1-for-4 at the plate with an RBI in the outing. Trace McDonald pitched six innings for the Trojans in the final game of his freshman season, striking out four and allowing three earned runs on three hits. Jonathan Miller held the Tigers scoreless through two innings on the mound and struck out two.
The Trojans season ended with an overall record of 17-12. They were 7-3 in district competition, placing third in the Region 8-3A standings. This spring's parting seniors playmakers include Broom, Crozier, Tyler Aikens, Eli Street and Delandoe Watts. Broom was an offensive force for the Trojans' batting lineup in his final campaign, posting a team-high .532 batting average to help propel the team in its run to the second round of the playoffs.
Though he'd much rather be busy preparing for Round 3 this weekend, head coach Derrick Jerkins said he's proud of the hard work his team put in throughout the season, and he's excited for the future knowing many of the Trojans will be back on the field with more experience under their belts in 2023.
"We were a really young team this year," Jerkins admitted. "We had a lot of young guys that kind of got thrown into the fire early on in their high school days, so there were some learning curves, but overall I felt they handled themselves really well and compiled a lot of valuable experience.
"For them to have this opportunity to come and compete in the playoffs is invaluable. You just can't replace that. Now that they've been through this whole process and they've seen what it takes to reach the success they want to reach, I'm looking forward to seeing them work even harder towards the goals they set for themselves next spring."
