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Cathedral's Landon Lees practices his swing during the game against Silliman Wednesday at Chester Willis Field in Natchez. (Nicole Hester | The Natchez Democrat)

Cathedral's Ben Foster throws the ball to first during a game against Siliman Wednesday at Chester Willis Field in Natchez. (Nicole Hester | The Natchez Democrat)

Cathedral's Jack Jones makes a run Wednesday during the baseball game against Silliman at Chester Willis Field in Natchez. (Nicole Hester | The Natchez Democrat)

Cathedral's Landon Lees pitches during the game against Silliman Wednesday at Chester Willis Field in Natchez. (Nicole Hester | The Natchez Democrat)

Cathedral's Ben Foster runs to catch the ball during a game against Siliman Wednesday at Chester Willis Field in Natchez. (Nicole Hester | The Natchez Democrat)

Cathedral players watch during the game against Silliman Wednesday in Natchez. (Nicole Hester | The Natchez Democrat)

By TIM GUERCIO

The Natchez Democrat

NATCHEZ — The Silliman Institute Wildcats won both games of a double header Wednesday night against district opponent Cathedral Green Wave.

It was a home game for Cathedral, and they needed one win to stay alive for the MAIA district 5 AAA playoffs. They couldn’t get one.

In the first game, which started in the late afternoon, Silliman sent out their No. 1 pitcher in the rotation, Brock Berthelot.

He did what was expected of him in an important district game. He shut down the Green Wave the best that he could. For the game he had seven strikeouts and gave up only two hits for a 12-2 Wildcat win.

Berthelot was also good enough in the batter’s box. He went 3 for 3 with 3 RBI. Jack Jackson had 3 RBI also for Silliman. Berthelot gets the win for game 1 while Conner Murray gets the loss.

In the second game Silliman sent out to the mound Austin Tunstil, while Cathedral sent out Landon Lees to battle the Wildcat hitters.

The Wildcat hitters continued to hit the ball, but the Green Wave turned them into outs.

For four innings Cathedral made fly ball put outs and every ground ball to the infield went over to first base for the out.

Cathedral was doing no better at the plate, and after four innings Silliman led 1-0. At the end of the fifth, the game was still tight at 2-1 Silliman.

The turning point of the game came in the top half of the sixth when two Green Wave errors put two men on base for the Wildcats.

Jack Jackson came to the plate and cleared the bases with a three run home run over the right field fence.

Sam Mosby was put in to pitch for Cathedral and give Lees some relief although he was still pitching well it was time for a fresh arm to come in.

Silliman was ahead 5-1 and got another run across in their seventh inning with a home run by Ben Lejuene. Mosby struck out two in the inning.

Cathedral rallied and it looked like they could pull this game out.

In their last at bat the Green Wave beat up on a new pitcher in the game, Tunstil came out and Hunter Harrell went in to pitch.

Ben Foster singled, Lees singled, Noah Russ singled. A hit batter and two walks and another hit by Murray and Cathedral had come from nowhere to tie the game up at 6 apiece and scare Silliman into extra innings.

Silliman manufactured a run, however, to lead 7-6 in the next inning. Cathedral had to face Silliman’s Berthelot again as he came into the game to try and stop the Green Wave.

He faced five batters striking out three to end the second game. Silliman won this game too 7-6 to end The Green Wave playoff chances.

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