East Union pitching strong again to sweep Pisgah, repeat as MHSAA baseball Class 2A champion
PEARL — John Maxwell, Pisgah's No. 9 hitter, was the first Dragons player to register a hit in Game 2 of the MHSAA Class 2 Championship at Trustmark Park on Friday. It was the first hit of the series for Pisgah as East Union rolled to a 9-2 victory to claim back-to-back state titles.
The Urchins cruised to a 14-0 victory in Game 1 behind a run-rule perfect game from Mississippi State commitment Landon Harmon. The sophomore finished with nine strikeouts in five innings.
Ben Basil followed that performance by only allowing four hits from Pisgah (25-10) with a strikeout in 6⅓ innings. Jude Treadaway sealed the win with save. The senior also went 3-of-3 with a walk in the seven-run victory.
"It's hard to get here," East Union coach Jamie Russell said. "It's hard to win a state championship. People don't realize it, but to win two in a row, it's awesome. Bull's-eye on their back every week and they just fought."
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Senior Ross Cochran and Tristan Baldwyn combined for five RBIs while senior Rett Johnson went 2-of-4. Baldwyn's 2-run triple in the third extended the East Union lead to 4-0.
Johnson, Mr. Baseball for Class 2A, finished 5-of-8 in the series. He led the team with a .553 batting average and 57 hits along with 44 RBIs, 12 doubles and four home runs on the season.
Multiple trips to the state championships was an important part of their success, according to Johnson.
"Here teams get in trouble," Johnson said. "They try to hit the ball hard in the air and here you've really got to beat it into the ground and hit low-line drives. That showed our experience this week. We tried to stay within ourselves and make solid contact."
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The Urchins (31-5) entered the season with a target on its back according to Russell. However, some of that was self-inflicted.
"We'll be back, there's no doubt about it," said Russell after winning the title last season.
But East Union more than delivered. The Urchins ended the season on a 10-game winning streak and swept through the playoffs. The last loss for the East Union was a 7-0 defeat to Amory on April 21. The Panthers forced Game 3 in the Class 3A championship on Thursday with a 8-5 victory over St. Stanislaus.
"We see all the rankings and we always want to be up there," Johnson said. "But it comes with a pressure and a target. Our coaching staff does a great job making sure we are not staying complacent. It feels really good to live up to some of those expectations."
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: East Union beats Pisgah again to repeat as MHSAA baseball 2A champion
