By By Tony Krausz/assistant sports editor
May 2, 2004
Rain and Brookhaven High School pitcher Darius Perkins brought Northeast Lauderdale's run in the Class 4A baseball playoffs to an end on Saturday.
The Trojans (22-11) lost 13-7 to the Panthers (26-6) in the second round of the state playoffs, after a 15-minute rain storm made the field unplayable to finish the game in the top of the seventh at Glynn Frazier Field. The loss eliminated Northeast from the postseason.
Brookhaven advanced to the South State Championship game with the victory. The Panthers will play the winner of the best-of-three series between West Jones and Petal. The deciding game of the series will be played on Monday at Petal.
Perkins went 4-for-5 at the plate with two singles, a two-run home run and a grand slam for eight RBIs.
The 6-foot-2 Panther also picked up the pitching win for Brookhaven. Perkins allowed seven runs off nine hits with six strikeouts in six innings of work.
Perkins tied the game at five with his first home run of the game. The pitcher's hit dipped over the left-field wall just over the glove of the Trojans' outfielder to bring home W.T. King, who reached first on a single.
Brookhaven broke the game open in the top of the fifth inning, scoring six runs on five hits and one Northeast error for an 11-5 advantage.
The Panthers' Adam Ogdon, Grant McDonnieal and Scotty Smith led off the inning with singles to load the bases. Brookhaven designated hitter Josh Patrick followed with a sharp grounder to Northeast's third baseman, who stepped on third for the force out but threw the ball over the catcher's head to allow Ogdon to score.
Brookhaven third baseman Cody Dunnaway brought home another run with a single for a 7-5 lead in the next at bat, and Perkins blasted a grand slam over the the left-center fielder wall to cap the scoring for the inning.
Perkins struck again for the Panthers in the top of the sixth, hitting a two-run single with two outs for a 13-5 lead.
Northeast scored the last two runs of the rain-shortened game in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single by center fielder Cory Chance, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and an RBI double from Chad Brunson, who went 3-for-4 with three RBIs.
The Panthers and Trojans exchanged two runs each in the first inning, with Brookhaven scoring on a double by Brooks Hill and a fielder's choice from McDonnieal. Northeast scored on a single from Brunson and a sacrifice fly by pitcher Nathan Peden.
The Panthers scored one run in the second for a 3-2 lead off a wild pitch, but the Trojans posted three runs off three hits in the bottom of the inning for a 5-3 advantage.
With two outs, Northeast shortstop Jason Pritchett, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles, reached on an error, that allowed third baseman Jeremy Barnacastle to score to tie the game at three. Chance followed with a double that scored Pritchett, and Brunson brought home Chance with a single.
Hall, Ogdon and McDonnieal each had two hits for Brookhaven. Hall notched a double.