Defending Class 1A state champion Resurrection is headed back to the state finals for the third straight season.
The Eagles swept past Ethel 12-2 Saturday night on the road to capture their third consecutive Class 1A South State championship and set themselves up to defend their crown in Pearl after Memorial Day. Resurrection beat Ethel in game one of the series in Pascagoula 9-1 on Thursday to open the series.
In addition, the win was the 17th straight on the season for first-year head coach Aron Frederic’s crew, as they move to 25-9 overall. The Eagles, dating back to last season, have now won 14 consecutive postseason games and 18 out of their last 19.
Ethel’s season ends at 19-9. “It’s a great feat to be able to make it to three straight state championships, and it’s a testament to everyone involved with this program over that time,” Frederic said. “Three straight South State titles is an accomplishment in itself, but we all know we’ve still got work to do.”
The game was close through the first four frames, as the teams headed into the fifth tied up at 1-1. But that inning was when the Eagles took flight and began to take control of the contest as well.
The Eagles quickly went to work in the top of the fifth, as RCS loaded the bases with one out. Cole Tingledrew a two-out walk to break the tie, and then Nicholas Watts was hit by a pitch to make it 3-1.
The big blow for RCS came in the next at-bat, when Carter McCammon drilled a two-run single scoring Luke Schnoor and Tingle to put the Eagles up 5-1.
Resurrection put the game away with five more runs in the top of the sixth stanza.
Watts played the key role in that uprising, as he blasted a grand slam home run to left field to make it 10-2 and basically put the game away. Tingle had an RBI-single just before Watt’s big blow.
McCammon added his second two-run single of the game in the top of the seventh to complete the scoring. “That was the big swing for us in the game when Watts hit the grand slam,” Frederic added. “It gave us some separation and a good cushion at a key point.”
Tingle went the distance on the mound for RCS to pick up the win, as he scattered seven hits and struck out eight and walked none.
Watts was one of a quartet of Eagles to collect two hits, but his five RBIs were a game and career high for the senior first baseman. The performance was sweet revenge for Watts, who was tossed out of game one in an extremely questionable and controversial call by an umpire. The ejection normally comes with a one-game suspension, but the RCS administration appealed to the MHSAA Friday morning and Watts was later cleared to play in game two.
McCammon also enjoyed a big game for the Eagles, with a pair of hits and four RBIs, while Max Askew and Jesus San Miguel also registered two hits apiece and both Walker Frederic and Schnoor had a double each in the winning 11-hit attack for RCS.
The Class 1 state final match-up is not yet set, as RCS awaits the winner of West Union and Vardaman in the North State finals. The state finals begin on Tuesday, May 30th at 1 p.m., at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss., home of the AA Mississippi Braves.
