Pace, Milton take shots at Pearl

Pearl (Miss.) High School will probably never want to hear of Santa Rosa County ever again.

After two games and seven home runs, the visitors to the west headed home much maligned and battered after a Tuesday doubleheader.

Pearl’s ordeal started at Milton High where they suffered a 9-5 loss at the hands of the Panthers.

After falling behind 2-0 in the first inning, the Panthers (7-4) came to life in the second inning with three runs and never looked back.

Helping that effort were Brandon Allen, who went 3-for-3 with a homer, and Roy Moulder, who went 2-for-3, and also took the Pearl pitching staff deep.

Jordan Martin got the win for Milton striking out two while allowing eight hits as he worked the final four plus innings of action.

After the defeat at Milton and using almost the entire pitching staff in hopes of stopping the Panthers, Pearl traveled west to face Pace.

The Patriots gave Pearl an 18-0 pounding in five innings as the Patriot ball field resembled the long gone days of the launching pad of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium as Pace hit five home runs.

Starting the home run barrage in the second inning was C.T. Bradford’s shot off the scoreboard.

Two batters later Trent Higgenbottom helped his cause with a two-run blast.

From there the flood gates opened as Pace to a 2-0 lead and extended it to 11-0.

Also homering for Pace were Addison Russell, Josh Reeves and Tyler Raggard.

Bradford, Higgenbottom, Russell, Reeves, and Mark Bass all went 2-for-3 on the night.

Higgenbottom also kept Pearl off stride as he held them to just three hits. While striking out six.

Also on Tuesday the Jay Royals were slowed by the Northview Chiefs 9-2.

Northview held the Royals to eight hits in the district game as the Chiefs jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third inning and never looked back.

Rush Hendricks struck out three in the loss and Payden Roberts led the Royals at the plate going 2-for-4.