Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

SUMMIT — The struggles at the plate, on the mound, and in the field for the Natchez High School Bulldogs continued last Friday afternoon as they dropped an MHSAA Region 3-5A varsity doubleheader to the North Pike High School Jaguars 16-0 in three innings in Game 1 and 12-2 in five innings in Game 2.

North Pike did not have many base hits in either game of the twinbill — five of them in both Game 1 and in Game 2 — but the Jaguars took advantage of several walks, errors, and hit batters to take care of Natchez High in blowout fashion.

The first game of the day got off to as good of a start as it could get for the Jaguars. After starting pitcher Ty Jones retired the side, they gave him all the run support he needed after plating 10 runs off Martavis Woods and Jaylin Neal in the bottom of the first.

Woods was charged with the loss on the mound for the Bulldogs. He didn’t even record an out and gave up four runs, all of them earned, on one hit and three walks. Head coach Dan Smith had seen enough and brought in Neal in relief. North Pike scored six runs off Neal before he finally got out of the inning.

Unfortunately for Natchez High, their offense could not do anything against Jones over his two innings of work. He gave up no hits, struck out two, and walked none. Haygan Hutson pitched the top of the third inning for North Pike and the Bulldogs’ JaCori Davis singled off him for what was their only base hit of the game.

The Jaguars added to their already big lead with six runs in the bottom of the second inning. Jones also came up big at the plate as he went 2-for-4 with a double with two runs batted in and one run scored. Dawson Bigner was 1-for-2 with a double, three RBIs, and two runs scored. Dominic Smith was 1-for-1 with a double, one RBI, three runs scored, was walked once, and was hit by a pitch once. Luke LeBlanc was 1-for-1 with two RBIs, two runs scored, was walked once, and was hit by a pitch once.

In his two innings of relief for Natchez High, Neal gave up 12 runs, only two of them earned, on four hits with one strikeout, seven walks, and three hit batters. The Bulldogs’ defense committed six errors.

In the nightcap, Peyton McGehee had a big game at the plate for North Pike as he went 1-for-2 with a double, three runs batted in, two runs scored and was walked twice in the Jaguars’ 12-2 victory.

North Pike scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning, four runs in the bottom of the second, and two runs in the bottom of the third for an 8-0 lead. Natchez High finally got ended the Jaguars’ shutout bid with two runs in the top of the fourth inning. JaCori Davis and Can Damion Hawkins each scored a run with Ahmarrion Fletcher driving in one of those runs.

Davis was 1-for-3 while Fletcher was 1-for-2 to lead the Bulldogs at the plate. Braylon McDaniel and Martavis Woods each went 1-for3-.

The Jaguars got those two runs back in the bottom of the fourth inning to make it a 10-2 game before ending the game early thanks to two runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Ryan Weber was the winning pitcher as he went three and two-thirds innings and gave up two runs, both of them earned, on three hits with eight strikeouts and four walks.

Chris Sewell got the start on the mound for the Bulldogs. He was charged with the loss after going just one and one-third innings and giving up six runs, four of them earned, on two hits with one strikeout, five walks, and one hit batter. McDaniel came on in relief and gave up six runs three of them earned on three hits with two strikeouts and six walks in three innings.

Dominic Smith had a triple and went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and was walked twice. Ty Jones was 1-for-3 with a double, one RBI, one run scored, and was walked once. Luke LeBlanc was 1-for-2 with two RBIs, one run scored, and was walked twice. JK Bales was 1-for-2 with three runs scored.

Natchez High fell to 7-11 overall and 0-6 in Region 3-5A. The Bulldogs were scheduled to play at Crystal Springs High School in a varsity-only game at 4 p.m. Monday, but head coach Dan Smith said earlier that afternoon that game was cancelled after the inclement weather that struck central and south Mississippi earlier in the day.