Panthers rally late, force Game 3 in 1A finals
PEARL – Pine Grove continues to be a tough out.
The Panthers rallied from a four-run deficit and pulled out an 8-7 win over Taylorsville in Game 2 of the MHSAA Class 1A state finals on Friday. Game 3 will be at 4 p.m. Saturday at Trustmark Park.
For Pine Grove (28-11), this is the third straight playoff series to go three games. After a 6-0 loss to Taylorsville in Game 1, head coach Matt King said his players regrouped.
“When we got to the hotel today, I knew they were locked in, I knew they were focused,” King said. “I could see in their eyes. My assistant coach says there’s a fine difference between a funeral and being focused. In their eyes, they were focused today.”
Taylorsville (22-12) scored six runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 7-3 lead. The Panthers answered quickly with a four-spot. Peyton Cornelius tied the game with a three-run triple to right field.
An inning later, Brittan Fryar hit a sac fly to score Ayden Jones and end the game.
Friday’s win closely resembled Game 3 of the North finals, when Pine Grove overcame a 7-4 deficit in Game 3 to beat Biggersville.
“We’ve had several punches that we’ve gotten hit with during the playoffs,” Cornelius said. “We’ve been down a lot of runs several times in the playoffs. The big thing with these guys, they never quit.”
Cornelius got the start on the mound and lasted 5 1/3 innings. He held Taylorsville at bay until the sixth. Reco Crosby’s RBI single gave Taylorsville a 4-3 lead, and that was followed by a Terry Barnes RBI groundout and a Noah Westbrook two-run single to make it 7-3.
Gehrig Shinall (9-1) ended up with the win, tossing one inning of scoreless relief.
The Panthers won despite getting out-hit 10-6. They had only one hit in their four-run sixth – the Cornelius triple that tied the game.
“I was trying to get something in the gap, trying to use the field to my advantage, trying to get a ball in the gap and let my runners run,” he said.
Extra Bases
Big Inning: A walk, a hit-by-pitch and an error loaded the bases for Pine Grove in the sixth. One run scored when Shinall was walked, and then Cornelius had his big hit.
Big Stat: Cornelius and Fryar had two hits apiece.
Coach Speak: “I told them to make me a promise in there when we were down 7-3 that they were going to have the best at-bat that’s humanly possible. They made me that promise in there, and everyone made good on that promise.” – King
