NATCHEZ — Natchez High School Bulldogs needed just five innings to take care of the South Pike High School Eagles in a 14-3 victory in their home opener on Tuesday night.

Zehalin Cornett and Dylan Troxler combined to strike out nine batters while Lionell Minor drove in three runs for the Bulldogs.

Cornett was the winning pitcher as he went two innings and allowed two earned runs on four hits with four strikeouts and one walk. Troxler came on and pitched the final three innings for Natchez High and gave up one earned run on two hits with five strikeouts to offset four walks.

The Bulldogs gave Cornett plenty of run support as they scored six runs in the bottom of the first inning and four runs in the bottom of the second. South Pike scored two runs off Cornett in the top of the second inning.

The Eagles scored one run off Troxler in the top of the third inning to make it a 10-3 game, but the Bulldogs closed the game out early with two runs in the bottom of the fourth and two more runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Lionell Minor went 2-for-4 with a double and the three RBIs. Dekaron McGruder was 2-for-2 with a double, three runs scored and one RBI. Roderick Simpson also went 2-for-2 with a double with four stolen bases, one run scored and two RBIs. Trylon Minor was 2-for-3 with four stolen bases and three runs scored.

Travon Henry had a double and scored one run. Kelvin Jones was walked three times, stole four bases and scored two runs.

Jakur Franklin suffered the loss for South Pike as he gave up 10 runs, nine of them earned, on six hits, four walks and two hit batters to go with two strikeouts. Jordan Johnson allowed four earned runs on three hits, two walks, and one hit batter while striking out six batters.

Natchez High (3-2) plays host to McComb High School today with the junior varsity game at 5 p.m., followed by the varsity game at 7 p.m.

ACCS 10, Porter’s Chapel Academy 4

VICKSBURG — The Adams County Christian School Rebels stared their 2020 season as the ‘home’ team on the road and came away with a 10-4 win over the Porter’s Chapel Academy Eagles last Monday afternoon.

ACCS was scheduled to host Porter’s Chapel, but too much rain forced the game to be moved to not only a different city, but a different ball park as well. That didn’t seem to bother the Rebels at all.

Trailing 1-0 heading into the bottom of the first inning, lead-off batter Tripp Cotten got on first base with a walk and later scored what was the first of three runs for the Rebels. They tacked on one run in the bottom of the second to go up 4-1.

Dylan LaPrairie was the starting and winning pitcher for ACCS as he allowed one run over two innings.

Connor Aplin came on to pitch the next two innings and Porter’s Chapel erased all of that three-run deficit in the top of the third inning to make it a 4-4 game.

However, the Rebels responded with a two-run rally of their own in the bottom of the third to take a 6-4 lead. Aplin settled down and shut out the Eagles in the top of the fourth. Then the Rebels scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth for an 8-4 advantage.

Rhett McDonald went two innings and Cotten pitched the top of the seventh and combined pitched three shutout innings. ACCS ended the scoring with two runs in the bottom of the sixth.

LaPrairie went 2-for-4 with a double and one run scored. Cotten was 2-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and was walked twice. As a team, the Rebels had eight hits and were walked 11 times.

Aplin went 1-for-4 and scored two runs. Jack Whitehead was 1-for-4 with one walk and two runs scored. Preston Fuller was walked three times and scored one run. Matthew Petty went 1-for-4 with one run scored. Alex Patterson was also 1-for-4.

The Eagles, on the other hand, were held to three hits and committed three errors. Jacob Bynum was the losing pitcher.

ACCS (1-0) will be the visiting team today when it takes on Porter’s Chapel Academy at the Vicksburg Sports Force Complex with the JV game at 4 p.m., followed by the varsity game at 6 p.m.