Wave win 13th straight, top Brookhaven

Published 12:00 am Friday, April 22, 2016

NATCHEZ — Cathedral High School scored six runs in the fourth inning and four more in the fifth to run-rule Brookhaven Academy 10-0 in baseball action Thursday night.

The decisive win gives the Green Wave a leg up in the race for the top spot in the district heading into today’s action. Cathedral entered Thursday’s game with a plus-9 run differential over Simpson Academy, who is tied atop the district standings with the Green Wave. Simpson will host Columbia Academy at 7 p.m. today.

“We had to win (Thursday), assuming Simpson wins (today) against Columbia,” Beesley said. “We’ve got a good cushion, and (the Simpson-Columbia) game should be a good game.”

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The win now extends Cathedral’s (19-3, 9-1) winning streak to 13 games.

“We struggled early in the year,” Beesley said. “We didn’t play how Cathedral Green Wave plays baseball. As the year progresses, we started to catch a little rhythm, and we’re on a little streak at the end, and hopefully we can keep it going through the playoffs.”

The Green Wave were led Thursday by outfielder Jacob Jenkins, who had two hits and scored two runs.

“We came together as a team,” Jenkins said. “At the beginning of the year we weren’t doing as well — we didn’t know our roles. Now we do know our roles.”

Jenkins’ role Thursday was providing the clutch as he drove in three of the Green Wave’s double-digit runs.

“I just had runners in scoring position, and I knew I had to do what I needed to do,” Jenkins said. “I was able to get it done.”

Pitcher Sam Parker held the Cougars scoreless until the Green Wave’s bats got going in the final two frames. The right-handed hurler held Brookhaven to just three hits while striking out five batters.

Gabe Smith continued his hot hitting as he drove in three runs Thursday. The senior first baseman drove in three runs over Natchez High School Monday and added another Tuesday night at Brookhaven.

Cathedral will have a bye in the first round of the MAIS playoffs before beginning its playoff run starting the week of May 2.