By By Jeff Byrd/sports editor
April 19, 2003
MOSS POINT Miles Clark is regarded as one of the best pitchers on the Gulf Coast. On Friday night, he used his bat to keep Moss Point alive.
Clark's solo home run in the bottom of the sixth was the difference in Moss Point's 6-5 win that evened the best of three series at a game apiece.
The two teams head back to Meridian's John Moss Field for the deciding game of the series tonight at 7 p.m.
Meridian head coach Vince McLemore said he hopes his team can rebound from just its fifth loss in 30 games this season.
Clark was 4-for-4 in the game with three runs scored and two RBIs. Meridian, now 25-5, did manage nine hits against the senior left-hander
including a mammoth sixth inning solo home run by freshman Tyler McMullen that tied the game at 5-5.
In the bottom of the sixth, Meridian sophomore pitcher Kyle Boswell got the first out on a comebacker to the mound. But then Clark turned on a 1-0 pitch riding the ball out of the park for the go ahead run at 6-5.
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Moss Point, now 11-14, jumped on Meridian for three runs in the first inning. Chad Green, Clark and Eric Butler all delivered consecutive hits off
Boswell.
Then Boswell walked Tristan Barnes to force one run in. He hit Kenny Hooks on a 0-1 pitch to make it 2-0. Hen then lost James McCarty to balls after McCarty fouled off three straight strikes.
Meridian struck back with three runs in the third inning. Maurice Cole
doubled in Richmond Alexander and moved Tyler Maxwell to third. Bobby Stone then delivered a two-out single scoring Maxwell and Cole for a 3-3 game.
Moss Point got two runs in the fourth when Clark singled up the middle to score Green. Butler followed with a double to right center scoring Clark for a 5-3 lead.
Meridian scratched a run back in the fifth when Cole doubled and then
scored on Stone's hit up the middle to make it 5-4.
In the sixth, McMullen belted his solo home run with two out to tie the
game at 5-5.
Boswell falls to 8-2 on the season with the loss. He struck out seven and
allowed 10 hits and two walks.
Cole led Meridian going 3-for-4 with two doubles. Stone drove in three runs off two hits. Maxwell also had two hits. Butler and Green each had two hits for Moss Point.