Knights fall in South State finale
By By Alan Hinton / Hattiesburg American
May 14, 2004
PURVIS The wind in Purvis blew toward right field all day long. The United States flag in center field stood straight out, victim of that wind.
So when Micah Bounds' hard-hit fly ball with two runners on base headed toward right field in the fifth inning of the Tornadoes' Class 3A South State championship game against West Lauderdale Thursday night, few doubted what was happening.
Bounds, a senior catcher who next year will play for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., knocked a pitch out of the park for a three-run home run that lifted Purvis to a 5-3 championship-clinching victory.
But it did. And it helped Purvis (30-5), which trailed 2-1 going into the inning, to a 5-2 lead. West Lauderdale (29-8), which had gone ahead 2-0 on a two-run home run by Parker Temple in the top of the fourth inning, scored one more run in the top of the seventh, but it wasn't enough.
Purvis coach Tony Farlow was proud, too, but he was proud that his team can keep playing. The Tornadoes will host Cleveland at 3 p.m. Saturday in the first game of the best-of-three Class 3A state championship series.
He will now. Bounds' twin brother, Matt who hit two homers against West Lauderdale in the second game of the series scored Purvis' first run in the fourth inning. He doubled, moved to third on a ground out and scored on the first of Kyle Lindsey's two singles.
Down 2-1, Purvis scored one run before Micah Bounds' homer, Nick Smith beat out an infield single, although he was erased on a fielder's choice by
Jeremy Greene, who stole second base. Shawn Anderson squibbed a spinning infield grounder for an infield hit and when there was an errant throw to first base, Greene scored to make it 2-2. Matt Bounds walked, then Micah Bounds unloaded.
He was right.
Justin Tucker (9-1), who will sign a baseball scholarship with East Central Community College today, pitched the first five innings for Purvis, giving up five hits and two runs. More importantly, he kept the Tornadoes within striking distance during his stint on the mound.
Drew Snider replaced Gardner, who took the loss, on the mound for the Knights in the sixth inning after a leadoff single by Hunter Dunaway and got three quick outs.
By then, Caleb Miller was pitching for Purvis, and he faced the bottom third of the West Lauderdale order in the top of the seventh. But Caleb Dulaney walked and, after a pair of strikeouts, Bo Davis walked. Austin Davis lined to left-center field for a single to score a run and make it 5-3. But Miller got Tyler Vick to fly out to right field for the final out of the game.
