The Columbia Wildcats couldn’t have picked a better time to start playing their best baseball of the season, and it culminated in a two-game sweep of Morton in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs.
In Game 1 April 6, a 7-1 home victory, a big first inning set the tone for the Wildcats (11-11-1). After Hayden Adkins drove in a run with a single, Columbia loaded the bases for senior outfielder Keion Jackson, who delivered in a big way. Jackson, who went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles, unloaded on a high fastball that he drove off the left-field fence for a bases-clearing double that set the tone for the series and put the Wildcats up 4-0.
“That kid has done everything we’ve asked. For a senior to get that big hit, that was pretty special for him. That’s really what settled us in and paved the way for the rest of the game,” head coach Kyle Lindsey said. “He’s been really special for us, worked his tail off and done a good job.”
Adkins would later plate a run with a sacrifice bunt, while Austin Arnold and Dylan Wallace singled home a run each.
“Any time you come out in the first inning in the playoffs and put up a four-spot, it takes a lot of the nerves away from the guys,” Lindsey said. “I really think that helped us settle in, and I think it helped Dylan Wallace settle in. He gave us a really good start with six innings and 11 punch outs and really kept them in check.”
Wallace turned in the best performance of his prep career on the mound, setting new career bests in innings pitched, ERA and strikeouts. He fanned 11 batters (previous best was five) across six innings while allowing one unearned run (none earned) on six hits and just one walk. Nik Carney closed it out, striking out two in a scoreless inning.
Game 2 Friday at Morton was a much different story even though the Wildcats ended up winning by 10 runs to earn the sweep. Columbia trailed 6-2 going into the fourth inning before rallying for two runs in the third, five in the fourth, one in the fifth, eight in the sixth and four in the seventh to win 20-10.
“The arm they threw the second game was pretty tough there early and kept us in check. I was proud of how our guys responded. We were down 6-2, and I met with our guys and let them know we couldn’t get it all back with one swing. We had some quality at-bats, got some hit-by-pitches, drew some walks and had some timely hitting,” Lindsey said. “I think the next time I looked up, it was 14-7 us. It was kind of history from then on.”
Adkins, who doubled and singled, and Jackson Carney each had two hits and 4 RBI to lead the Columbia offense. Carter Smith (double, two singles), Conner Cox (three singles) and Wallace (two singles) each plated three runs. Arnold got walked three times, hit twice and scored four runs.
Tucker Lucas only got one out in the first inning while surrendering three runs, but Dylan Broom was able to stop the bleeding. The junior threw 4 1/3 innings in relief, allowing two earned runs while fanning four.
Next up for the Wildcats is Magee (21-5), who finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 3A by Capital Sports. The Trojans are an offensive powerhouse, batting .400 as a team, with three hitters over .500, hitting 15 homers, stealing 109 bases and averaging 10.2 runs per game. They also have two aces on the mound in Adam May (6-1, 0.88 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings) and Brennon McNair (3-1, 1.63 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 30 innings).
“They hit well, pitch well, defend it well and are extremely fast on the bases. We don’t have to be a better team than them on paper. We just have to be the better team two out of these three games,” Lindsey said. “Our guys got some fight in them. We’re not looking at the name on the jersey or their record or anything like that. We’re going to go out there, play baseball and see what happens.”
Two seasons ago, when Lindsey was an assistant at Pearl River Community College, Magee swept the Wildcats in the second round before beating West Marion in the South State championship and losing to North Pontotoc in the State Championship.
With a win over Magee, the Wildcats would face either Franklin County (14-6) or Southeast Lauderdale (14-5) in the third round with a trip to the South State championship series on the line.
