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WOODVILLE — Wilkinson County Christian Academy senior Jacob Sessions was a force for the Rams on the mound, at the plate, and on the base pads at a key moment in the bottom of the 6th inning as they defeated the Tallulah Academy Trojans 10-7 last Thursday afternoon to win the MAIS Class 2A South State Championship Series two games to none.

This makes back-to-back Class 2A South State titles for WCCA – something in which Rams head coach Kyle White probably would not have expected considering that they entered the postseason with an overall losing record and finished in second place to Tallulah Academy in District 3-2A. This was also their seventh win in a row which started with an 11-1 win over Tensas Academy on Wednesday, April 16.

When asked how it feels to be the head coach of the back-to-back South State champions, White said, “About as weird as it sounded when we won it last year.” Then he added that being able to defend its Class 2A state championship also “sound weird.”

Tallulah Academy jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning before WCCA responded with one run in the bottom of the second inning and two runs in the bottom of the third against Trojans starting and losing pitcher Luke Moberley for a 3-2 lead.

After the Trojans scored one run in the top of the fifth inning off Sessions to tie the game at 3-3, the Rams exploded for five runs in the bottom of the fifth. Jonathan Meredith and Easton Buteaux each had the big hits in the frame with a two-run double.

Then Sessions was pulled after loading the bases with one out in the top of the sixth inning the Rams still clinging to their 8-3 lead. Wesley Sanchez came on in relief and the first hitter he faced was J.T. McDaniel, who hit a grand slam home run to make it an 8-7 game. But that would be the only base hit that Sanchez would give up on his time on the mound.

Sessions was charged for the three runners on base and ended up allowing six runs, only two of them earned, on four hits with no strikeouts and five walks over five and two-thirds innings.

“He’s been recovering from injuries this season. He still doesn’t have his best stuff. But he answered the call every time he asked him to. You can count on your seniors and he sure delivered for us,” White said about Sessions.

But the Rams made sure that the Trojans’ momentum would end in a hurry. Charles Grezaffi led the bottom of the sixth with a double and later scored on a groundout by Carter Graham. Then Sessions singled and went to third base on a single by Buteaux. The two combined to perfectly execute a double steal with Sessions scoring to make it a 10-7 game. At the plate, Sessions was 2-for-2 with three runs scored, was walked once, was hit by a pitch once, and had two stolen bases.

“He’s had a rough couple of games. He put the work in to get his swing back and it showed (Thursday). Every ball he hit he hit hard,” White said about Buteaux, who went 2-for-3 with two RBIs two runs scored, was walked once, and led the team with three stolen bases.

As for how big those two runs were for WCCA in the home half of the sixth inning, White said, “You take away the momentum. We responded with those two runs. It gave us some breathing room for the top of the seventh.

 

Sanchez retired the side and the Rams were once again MAIS Class 2A South State Champions. He went one and two-third innings and gave up one earned run on one hit, struck out one, and walked one batter.

“It was pretty. We were fortunate that the sun came out early and dried everything for us,” White said.

Now WCCA (15-10) will have the opportunity to win yet another Class 2A state championship when the Rams collide with North State champion Calhoun Academy in a best-of-three series next week.

Game 1 will take place at WCCA on Monday, May 12 at 5 p.m. Then Game 2 will be on Tuesday, May 13 at 5 p.m. at Calhoun Academy. If there is a winner-take-all Game 3, that will be on Thursday, May 15 at 5 p.m. at WCCA.

WCCA 4, Tallulah Academy 3 (Game 1 – Wednesday afternoon)

TALLULAH, La. — Game 1 of the Class 2A South State Championship series between WCCA and Tallulah Academy was pushed back a day because of the rough weather that ravaged the Miss-Lou region on Tuesday into Wednesday morning.

Tucker Freeman overcame a sloppy first inning by himself and the defense behind him to throw six strong innings and Jacob Sessions had a two-run single during a four-run rally in the bottom of the third inning as the Rams defeated the Trojans 4-3 last Wednesday afternoon.

Tallulah Academy took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning thanks to what WCCA head coach Kyle White said were more of “self-inflicted wounds.”

“We had a walk and a throwing error. Two runs scored on that error,” White said. “We tried to pick off a runner at third base and overthrew him.”

Then Freeman settled down and kept the Trojans off the scoreboard the rest of the way. That, in turn, helped the Rams rally in the top of the third inning to take the lead for good.

“After that first inning, he settled in and threw the pitches we needed him to throw. He picked his spots and pitched out of a couple of jams,” White said.

White added that the key to the Rams’ rally in the top of the third inning was that Wesley Oliveaux and Wesley Sanchez, the 8- and 9-hole hitters in the line-up, both got on base and turning the lineup over.

Sessions then drove in both runs to cut the Trojans’ lead to 3-2. He advanced to second on the throw to home plate and later scored on single by Freeman to tie the game at 3-all. Carter Graham brought in Freeman with an RBI double to give WCCA a 4-3 lead.

“It showed a little maturity to come back from a deficit. And showing the wherewithal to fight back,” White said. “It showed even more maturity for us to hold on to that one-run lead.”

After the top of the third inning, the next three innings turned out to a pitchers’ duel between Freeman and Trojans starting pitcher J.T. McDaniel with both pitchers keeping the other team scoreless over that time.

Freeman was the winning pitcher as he went six innings and gave up three runs, none of them earned, on two hits with 10 strikeout and three walks. McDaniel was the losing pitcher after giving up four runs, all of them earned, on seven hits with no walks, seven strikeouts, and one hit batter. Sessions came on in relief in the bottom of the seventh and gave up two hits, walked one, and struck out one.

Oliveaux led WCCA at the plate by going 2-for-3 while Sessions was 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Graham was 1-for-3 with one RBI. Freeman, Charles Grezaffi, and Sanchez each had one base hit and each of them scored one run. Courtesy runner Justin Hendry also scored one run.

Luke Moberley led the Trojans at the plate as he went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases. McDaniel went 1-for-3 with one run score. Charlie Vining was walked once and scored one run while courtesy runner Shepard Morgan also sc