Natchez’s season ends with disappointing loss

Published 1:38 am Tuesday, May 4, 2010

NATCHEZ — What seemed like a promising and hopeful run through the Class 6A playoffs for the Natchez High Bulldogs a week ago ended with a disappointing thud Monday evening at Chester Willis Field.

For the second consecutive game, the Bulldogs couldn’t get anything going offensively and compounded their problems with some shaky defense that led to a 12-0 loss to Ocean Springs that ended their season.

“I don’t like the way it ended,” Natchez coach Charlie Williams said. “It was very disappointing. We played worse (in this series) than we were playing in the regular season. And this is the time you’re supposed to be playing your best ball. For some reason, we just didn’t get up for (Ocean Springs).”

Email newsletter signup

And the Greyhounds made them pay for that. For the second consecutive game, Ocean Springs’ pitchers allowed just one hit.

Derrian Johnson had the only hit for the Bulldogs, a single in the bottom of the fifth inning.

“We’re just not patient enough at the plate,” Williams said. “We were swinging at pitches in the dirt. That’s one thing we’re going to work on for next year. Be disciplined at the plate and swing at strikes only.”

Ocean Springs didn’t waste any time getting on the board, as they took advantage of an error and two walks to post two runs in the top of the first inning on a single by Tanner Noakley.

After being held scoreless by Natchez pitcher Scott Turner in the second and third innings, Ocean Springs added to its lead in the fourth with two more runs.

Daniel Wineski drove home a run with a sacrifice fly and Michael Reynolds plated the other with a single.

But the big damage came in the top of the fifth inning when the Greyhounds turned the game into a rout with eight runs.

Noakley drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly before Matt Lee, who was also the winning pitcher, brought one in with a single.

A double by Wineski plated another run Reynolds’ double chased home two more.

Then the Bulldogs defense fell apart.

An error by the shortstop kept the inning alive and one batter later, the left fielder dropped a fly ball that allowed two runs to score and put the 10-run mercy rule into effect.

The final run of the game came home on a double by Nick Boggs.

Natchez was kept scoreless in the bottom of the fifth inning and the game was called.

“We were in the game until the fourth inning,” Williams said. “We just made too many errors. I stopped counting after a while.”