By Sam Johnson/Special to The Messenger
The Southside Panthers finish an undefeated February (9-0) with an exclamation point by winning the county baseball championship last week. The Panthers started the tournament in strong fashion on Monday, Feb. 24 with big wins over Gaston (18-3) and Glencoe (16-0). Southside played Hokes Bluff in the county championship game Thursday, Feb. 27, night and also won that one in convincing fashion by a score of 13-3. The Eagles tied up the game 3-3 in the top of the third inning before a four-run bottom of the third and a five-run fourth inning put the game away for the Panthers.
“I am extremely proud of our players and coaches for how we have started the year,” said head coach Shane Chappell. “We have won in a variety of ways. The biggest thing is we have found ways to win. We definitely have plenty of room to continue to get better and improve. Our coaches and players understand that we are playing to a standard and not just results, but we all embrace the challenge.”
Several Panthers took home accolades to start the season. Sophomore Shelby Houston and juniors Alex Brewer and Carson McGraw took home all-tournament team honors while senior Corbin Driskell was awarded tournament MVP. Houston had a strong showing on the mound in the championship game. The sophomore went all six innings giving up three runs and striking out ten batters in the process. Houston also hit a very impressive .750 for the tournament and led the team with nine RBIs. Alex Brewer hit .417 for the tournament, and the lefty added two home runs. McGraw hit .667 with 3 RBIs. Driskell slashed .833 across the three games with a homerun and seven RBIs on his way to collecting MVP hardware.
“Hitting is the toughest thing to do consistently in our sport,” Chappell said. “We have continued to get better in that area but understand we are always one game away from facing someone that can make it difficult for us offensively. That is why we stress being diverse in our offensive production, while consistently pitching it well and striving to be elite defensively. Our coaches have done a phenomenal job of preparing our players to have the ability to find success in a variety of ways.”
Southside’s undefeated streak came to an end on Saturday, March 1, when Central High School pulled ahead 10-7. Southside defeated Hokes Bluff at the same double header. Southside’s victory bumped their record up to 10-1. As for Hokes Bluff, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 4-4.
