Wolves Walk Off Secures Sophomore Day Sweep

WESSON – The Co-Lin Baseball team wrapped up the 2024 regular season by hosting Coahoma on Saturday, April 27. In a doubleheader of drastic differences, the Wolves swept the Tigers taking game one, 13-1, in a run-rule victory, and then getting a walk off win in game two, 3-2.

GAME ONE

The Tigers got on the board first with a single run in the top of the second to take an early 1-0 lead over the Wolves. However, the Wolves wasted no time as they responded by exploding for seven runs in the bottom half of the inning as Hagan Coumbe (Utica) hit a leadoff single to get the offense going.

Reise Thomas (Florence) then stepped up and smashed a 2-0 pitch over the fence in left field for a two-run home run, his first of the season, to give the Wolves a 2-1 lead. Isaac McClenty (Ridgeland) then doubled, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and scored on an RBI single by Spencer Wilson (McComb) increasing the lead to 3-1. Brayden Bankston (Terry) followed with a single as Wilson went from first to third on the play while Brentley Berry (Magee) followed with a second consecutive single scoring Wilson while Bankston also went from first to third on the hit. Jon David Weed (Terry) then drew a walk to load the bases with no outs. Later in the inning, Jordan McKenzie (Franklinton, LA) hit a sacrifice fly scoring Bankston while Berry and Weed scored on a two-out, two-RBI double by Coumbe making the score, 7-1.

The Wolves then added a single run in the bottom of the fourth as Berry hit a leadoff triple and then scored on an RBI single by Weed making the score, 8-1. The Wolves then added another solo run in the bottom of the fifth as Braden Freeman (Terry) was brought in as a pinch hitter and reached on an error and advanced to second on the play to start the inning. Later in the inning, Freeman advanced to third as Wilson reached on an error, and the scored on an RBI groundout by Bankston increasing the lead to 9-1.

The Wolves added their final four runs in the bottom of the sixth as Weed hit a leadoff double to get the offense going. Weed then scored on an RBI single by Sawyer Dunn (Magee) who then advanced from first to third on a single by Sam Thomas (Madison). Dunn then scored on a sacrifice fly by Christian Cameron (Brandon) making the score, 11-1. Freeman then drew a walk to put two runners on with one out for the Wolves. Thomas and Freeman then scored on a two-RBI single by Ryland Hemphill (Florence) increasing the lead to 13-1.

The Wolves then retired the Tigers in order in the top of the seventh to secure the 13-1 run-rule victory in game one.

The Wolves totaled 14 hits in the game as Brentley Berry led the way going a perfect 3-for-3 while JD Weed and Hagan Coumbe added two hits apiece with Sawyer Dunn, Sam Thomas, Reise Thomas, Isaac McClenty, Ryland Hemphill, Spencer Wilson, and Brayden Bankston had one hit each. Coumbe, Hemphill, and Reise Thomas led the Wolves in RBIs with two apiece while Berry, Weed, Dunn, Wilson, Bankson, Jordan McKenzie, and Christian Cameron added one RBI each.

Andin Bolen (Lucedale) got the start for the Wolves and improved to 5-1 overall while pitching six innings and allowing one earned run on two hits with four walks and five strikeouts. Craig Bass (Brookhaven) pitched one inning of scoreless and hitless relief with one strikeout.

GAME TWO

The Wolves looked to take an early lead in the bottom of the first as Hagan Coumbe hit a two-out single while Jordan McKenzie followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position. However, a fly out ended the inning with no scoring done, while the Tigers then scored a run in the top of the second to take a 1-0 lead.

The Tigers continued to hold the Wolves off the board and then took advantage of an error by the Wolves in the top of the fourth to score a single run and increase their lead to 2-0. The Wolves then cut into the lead with a single run in the bottom of the fifth as Brentley Berry reached on an error with two outs to get the offense going. JD Weed then extended the inning as he reached on an error while Berry took third on the play. Berry then scored as Coumbe reached on a third-straight error by the Tigers making the score, 2-1.

After holding the Tigers scoreless in the top of the sixth, the Wolves then tied the game with another solo run in the bottom half of the inning as Isaac McClenty hit a bunt single with one out to get the offense started. McClenty then took second on a groundout by Sawyer Dunn and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Braydon Evans (Florence) then reached on an error as McClenty scored on the play tying the game at 2-2. Braden Freeman was then brought on as a pinch runner for Evans while Brayden Bankston then drew a walk to put two runners on with two outs and potentially give the Wolves the lead. However, an inning-ending strikeout left the game tied at 2-2.

The Tigers were retired in order in the top of the seventh setting the stage for the potential walk-off win for the Wolves in the bottom of the seventh. After a strikeout started the bottom half of the inning, Coumbe stepped up to the plate and needed just two pitches to end the game as he crushed an 1-0 pitch over the fence in left field for a walk-off solo home run, his first of the season. The Wolves secured the sweep of the Tigers with the 3-2 win in game two.

The Wolves totaled six hits as a team with walk-off hero Hagan Coumbe having the only multi-hit game with two while Jordan McKenzie, Reise Thomas, Isaac McClenty, and Sawyer Dunn had one hit each. Coumbe had the only RBI in the game for the Wolves.

Connor Pittman (Waynesboro) improved to 8-4 overall with the complete game win allowing two runs, one earned, on three hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.

Co-Lin finishes the 2024 regular season, 25-23 overall, 15-13 in conference play. The Wolves season will continue as they have qualified for the Best-Of-Three Region 23 Play In Series for the first time since the 2021 season. The Wolves will go on the road and face off against the Eagles of Meridian with times to be determined.