Long fans 18, Tigers win 4A series opener
PEARL – The numbers are hard to fathom, but Ty Long really is that good.
Playing on his biggest stage yet, the Ripley senior lived up to his billing. Long tossed a three-hit shutout and struck out 18, as the Tigers beat Sumrall 5-0 in Game 1 of the MHSAA Class 4A state finals on Tuesday at Trustmark Park.
The 18 Ks were a season high for Long, who was named 4A Mr. Baseball this season. Through 77 innings, he has allowed just three earned runs.
“That’s him every time, pretty much,” Ripley coach Joel Gafford said. “I’m just glad that the rest of the state got to see what he’s like – as advertised.”
Long (13-0), a Southern Miss signee, was in command from the first pitch. He retired 13 straight batters between the third and seventh innings, and Sumrall (32-5) never mounted a serious scoring threat.
Fourteen of Long’s strikeouts were swinging strikeouts. Making contact was a game-long struggle for the Bobcats.
“When I got ahead, I could really go to any pitch I wanted to, and you saw some off-balance swings and some takes. When I got ahead is when I was best,” Long said.
Ripley (24-10) gave Long all the offensive support he would need in the third inning, when Cooper Davis bombed an RBI double to the gap in left-center.
The score remained 1-0 until the seventh, with the Tigers piling on four insurance runs. Not that Long really needed the extra cushion.
He did his seven innings of work on 98 pitches, 66 of which were strikes. Long issued zero walks.
“That’s him every day of the week,” Gafford said. “He’s earned every bit of this, that award. It’s not an act, it’s not a show.”
Drew Davis (8-3) took the loss despite a solid effort. In six innings, he allowed one run on six hits, struck out four and walked three.
Game 2 will be 4 p.m. Thursday. The Tigers are seeking their first state title.
Extra Bases
Big Inning: A bases-loaded walk and a wild pitch scored Ripley’s first two runs in the seventh. Curt Cohea then laced a two-run triple for a 5-0 lead.
Big Stat: Ripley had eight hits, and at least one in each inning.
Coach Speak: “Davis did a really good job starting for them. The goal is to always get into somebody’s bullpen; we did that.” – Gafford
