West Lauderdale gears up for 3A title run

By By Marty Stamper/EMG sports assistant
May 8, 2004
West Lauderdale breezed through its best-of-three Class 3A baseball playoff series with Magee last week, winning 7-3 and 5-1 to improve to 28-6.
Next up for the Knights is a group that packs a pretty stout punch as well the Purvis Tornadoes.
Game 1 of the best-of-three Class 3A South State championship series is set for 7 p.m. tonight at Purvis. Game 2 will be Monday at 7 p.m. at Collinsville, with a third game, if needed, Wednesday at Purvis at 7 p.m.
Purvis swept Raleigh 13-3 and 10-1 to advance to the South half finals.
In the 13-3 win, the Tornadoes got a three-run homer from Hunter Dunaway and a two-run blast from Micah Bounds. Justin Tucker (8-1) got the win.
In the 10-1 victory, Caleb Miller and Brett Hartfield combined to limit the Lions to only five hits. Purvis, meanwhile, had a dozen hits.
Matthew Bounds had a two-run homer, while Jeremy Greene and Shawn Anderson both had three singles.
The Knights need only four more wins to secure their 11th state championship.
In sweeping Magee, the Knights got solid pitching performances from Ricky Gardner (5-1) in the series opener and Paxton Pace (5-1) in the second game.
Pace tossed a two-hitter in the 5-1 win at Collinsville. Both are freshmen.
Boatner will start Gardner on the mound tonight.
Freshman Cody Freeman will be behind the plate, freshman Austin Davis at first base, freshman Tyler Vick at second base, senior Bo Davis at shortstop, junior Caleb Dulaney at third base, senior Jay Warren in left field, Parker Temple in center field and Drew Snider in right field. Pace will take the mound in Monday's contest.
The West-Purvis series winner will face the Cleveland (26-9)-North Pontotoc (25-9) series winner in the final round for the Class 3A state championship.