How Vancleave won MHSAA Class 5A state title vs Lafayette after losing opener
PEARL — Vancleave baseball coach Justin Edwards claims momentum in a game is at times everything.
Despite having a three-run lead going into the fourth inning, Edwards believed defense kept the Bulldogs' momentum and shifted the imaginary balance beam more in their favor.
Vancleave (29-8) used it to help fuel a 6-1 win over Lafayette (27-9) in Game 3 at Trustmark Park on Saturday night to win the MHSAA Class 5A championship after losing the opener of the best-of-three series.
"They (Lafayette) had a chance to kind of snatch that from us," Edwards said on the momenutm swing. "We had it at the time. ... So it was a really pivotal moment for us to get out of that.
"Then to go right out and put up a couple of runs right behind that, I think, allowed the momentum back in the first base dugout where it belonged."
Another quick start, in contrast to Game 2, put Vancleave up three runs early on a Tyler West two-run double and RBI single from Layton Eder. A sudden flip occurred for Lafayette after a walk, and two singles had the bases loaded with no outs.
With the Lafayette dugout hollering and the fan base cheering as loud as they could, it seemed as if the momentum was at its tipping point.
After two consecutive strikeouts from Vancleave starting pitcher Levi Tapp, he surrendered a run on a passed ball, but the Bulldogs' offense was more than ready.
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Vancleave scored a run in every inning following the fourth, with RBI hits from West, Tanner Willis and Max Bates to help seal a second title and the first since 2018.
How Vancleave looked at its Game 1 loss to help win its next two
Game 1 between Vancleave and Lafayette lasted 12 innings and about three and a half hours. After the loss, Vancleave took more away from that game than they had realized.
"I said don't count the dogs out," Edwards said. "If there if there's ever a team that I've ever coached, this is the one that I felt the most confident could come back from something like that."
West won series MVP with 12 innings pitched, two earned runs, 13 strikeouts, and two RBIs.
"I know what were our backs against the wall ... The first few games, we had a lot of strikeouts. So we just had to have way better at-bats and play better defense," said West.
When Edwards left Wednesday's loss, he still believed the Bulldogs had a shot and winning two straight games.
"These guys are the toughest group that I've ever coached," Edwards said. "They're resilient, and they get after it every single day."
Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: MHSAA baseball: Vancleave downs Lafayette to win MHSAA Class 5A title
