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MCCOMB — Parklane Academy senior Collin Smith gave Cathedral High School all kinds of problems both on the mound and at the plate last Tuesday afternoon as the 2025 MAIS Class 5A South State Playoffs got under way between the visiting Green Wave and the host Pioneers.

Even though Cathedral entered the playoffs as the District 4-5A No. 2 seed while Parklane Academy was the District 3-5A No. 3 seed, going by the way Game 1 of this best-of-three first-round series went, the Green Wave are on the ropes.

Smith allowed just two runs, scattered seven hits, struck out 10 batters and walked just two batters over six strong innings and he helped his own cause by going 2-for-3 with one run batted in and one run scored in leading the Pioneers to a 12-2 win over the Green Wave in six innings.

The game stated as a pitchers’ duel between Smith and Cathedral starting pitcher Owen Jordan, going scoreless after two innings of play. Then in the top of the third inning, Tripp Wimberly drew a walk to bring in one run and Ethan Keith grounded out to score another run, giving the Green Wave a 2-0 lead. Landon French and Houston Edwards were the Green Wave players to cross home plate in its half of the third inning.

Unfortunately, that lead would not last very long as Parklane Academy struck for six runs off Jordan in the bottom of the third, with the big blow being a two-run single by Jax Toler on the sixth pitch of the at-bat. Jordan lasted three innings and gave up six runs, all of them earned, on five hits with one strikeout, six walks, and one hit batter.

Eli Wilson came on in relief and, just like Jordan, pitched two good innings before the Pioneers got to him in his third inning on the mound. Wilson allowed one run in the bottom of the fourth inning and kept Parklane off the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth. Then came the bottom of the sixth as the Pioneers struck for five runs on three hits.

Smith singled in one run, then a costly error allowed two runs to come in, and Kaydon Jackson doubled in two runs with two outs to run-rule the Green Wave and end the game early.

Wilson gave up six runs, only one of them earned, on four hits with no strikeouts, no walks, and two hit batters.

Parklane Academy belted out nine hits with three players registering multiple hits. In addition to winning pitcher Smith, Nick Young went 2-for-4 with a double, one RBI, one stolen base, and three runs scored while Toler was 2-for-4 with hits two RBIs.

Jackson went 1-for-3 with two RBIs, one run scored, one stolen base, and was walked once. George Glass was 1-for-4 with a double and one RBI while Braxton Hughes was 1-for-3 with one RBI, two runs scored, two stolen bases, and was walked once.

French as well as Tristan Fondren led Cathedral at the plate as each of them went 2-for-3 with French scoring one run. Edwards was 1-for-3 with one run scored while Wimberly was 1-for-2 with one RBI and was walked once. Keith was 1-for-3 with one RBI.

With the loss, Cathedral fell to 14-13 overall. The Green Wave plays host to Parklane Academy at Chester Willis Field on Friday with Game 2 at 5 p.m. If Cathedral wins that game, then a third and deciding game will take place at 7 p.m. Friday.