MHSAA 2A Baseball Playoffs Roundup: Pisgah wins decisive Game Three against Calhoun City

The second round of the MHSAA 2A Baseball Playoffs is in the books, and while there haven't been many surprises, there are some great matchups coming in the third round.

The second round of the MHSAA 2A Baseball Playoffs are in the books, and while there haven't been many surprises, there are some great matchups coming in the third round. Here's a look at where we stand going into next week.

Moving on

East Union (24-5), St. Joseph (18-7), Bruce (13-15), Taylorsville (22-8), Mize (19-11), Loyd Star (18-7), Puckett (16-8), Pisgah (20-12)

Done for the year

East Webster (18-13), Eupora (18-11), Mantachie (12-15), Scott Central (7-12), Lake (21-6), Enterprise Clarke (17-13), Bogue Chitto (11-17), Calhoun City (13-6)

Full second round results

2A North

East Union 2, East Webster 0
Game One: East Union 2, East Webster 1 (8 innings)
Game Two: East Union 15, East Webster 5

St. Joseph 2, Eupora 0
Game One: St. Joe 5, Eupora 4 (8 innings)
Game Two: St. Joe 5, Eupora 2

Bruce 2, Mantachie 0
Game One: Bruce 13, Mantachie 0
Game Two: Bruce 7, Mantachie 5

Pisgah 2, Calhoun City 1

Game One: Calhoun City 6, Pisgah 3
Game Two: Pisgah 1, Calhoun City 0
Game Three: Pisgah 5, Calhoun City 3

2A South

Taylorsville 2, Scott Central 0
Game One: Taylorsville 14, Scott Central 3
Game Two: Taylorsville 8, Scott Central 2

Mize 2, Lake 0
Game One: Mize 4, Lake 2
Game Two: Mize 10, Lake 2

Loyd Star 2, Enterprise Clarke 0
Game One: Loyd Star 7, Enterprise 6
Game Two: Loyd Star 3, Enterprise 1

Puckett 2, Bogue Chitto 0
Game One: Puckett 13, Bogue Chitto 5
Game Two: Puckett 6, Bogue Chitto 3

MHSAA 2A BASEBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKET

Top performers

Riley Easterling, Loyd Star: Pitched six innings in Loyd Stars’ 3-1 series-clinching win over Enterprise, giving up one unearned run on three hits and no walks with 11 strikeouts.

Harrison Hux, Loyd Star: Went 3-for-3 in the Hornets’ 7-6, series-opening win over Enterprise Thursday night, including a double in the bottom of the sixth that drove in the winning run. 

Ty Keyes, Taylorsville: Went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double, three RBIs and three runs scored in the Tartars’ 14-3 series opening win over Scott Central Thursday night. He also ripped a two-run double in Taylorsville’s 8-2 win Friday.

Aiden Moffett, Taylorsville: Pitched all seven innings of the Tartars’ series-clinching, 8-2 win over Scott Central, allowing one earned run on two hits and four walks with 13 strikeouts.

Andrew Rankin, Puckett: Went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs in the Wolves’ 13-5, series opening win over Bogue Chitto Thursday night. 

Hayden Roberts, East Union: Pitched seven innings in the Urchins’ 2-1, series-opening win over East Webster Thursday night, allowing one unearned run on three hits and five walks with 15 strikeouts. He also walked and scored the winning run in the eighth inning of Game One and racked up three RBIs and three runs scored in Game Two.

Hudson Sandifer, St. Joseph: Pitched 7.1 innings in the series-opening, 5-4 win over Eupora Thursday night, allowing one earned run on seven hits and three walks with three strikeouts. He reached on an error and scored a run in the Bruins’ 5-2 win Friday, too.

Tatum Turner, Bruce: Went 3-for-3 at the plate with a triple and two RBIs in Bruce’s 13-1 win over Mantachie Thursday night. He also walked and scored two runs in the Trojans’ 7-5 win Friday, and struck out three of the seven batters he faced to get the save and ice their series win over Mantachie.

Third-round matchups

(All series begin Thursday, May 13)

2A North
East Union vs. St. Joseph
Bruce vs. Pisgah

2A South
Taylorsville vs. Mize
Loyd Star vs. Puckett

What you need to know

The big headline coming out of 2A South in the second round was Mize beating Lake in two games without much trouble. The Bulldogs handled their business against the Hornets, and earned a trip to the third round and a date with 2A South front-runner Taylorsville.

In the North, St. Joseph ran its winning streak to six games by sweeping Eupora, setting up an interesting matchup against West Union in the third round.

The Urchins barely slipped by East Webster in their series opener 2-1 thanks to Chris Clayton’s clutch RBI single in the eighth inning. They wasted no time dispatching the Wolverines in Game Two, scoring five runs in the first four innings en route to a 15-5 win.

Pisgah and Calhoun City were the only two teams in 2A to play a Game Three Saturday. The Dragons erased an early 3-2 deficit with three runs in the third inning —highlighted by Jackson Swales’ two-RBI single — on the way to a 5-3, series-clinching win.