5A: Long Beach Bearcats (23-11, 8-1) def. Ridgeland Titans (29-5, 6-2)
Note: This is a continuation of my reports on the MHSAA Baseball Championships, played May 25-29 at Trustmark Park in Pearl. I broadcasted all 14 games, and the storylines were far too good to not share beyond the airwaves. Below you will find a writeup on the series, quick box scores, and links to PDF files of my scoresheets used during the broadcasts.
The Titans, winners of 26 consecutive games coming into the series, had seen their offense sputter throughout the postseason, and it cost them a 5A title here. The top three in the Titan lineup, future collegiate players Jarrett Jenkins, Tate Ratcliff, and Hunter Twitty, combined for just two hits in the series. Further, Ridgeland stranded 15 men on base, including back-to-back bases loaded opportunities late in Game 1. The duo of Nick Johnson and Stephen Joe were arguably the best one-two rotation coming into the championships, and they performed as advertised. However, they were blindsided by a Long Beach ace, and another Bearcat who came out of nowhere to pitch the game of his life.
Timmy Maloney entered the series with a sub-1.00 ERA, but one of his two losses on the year came to Ridgeland early in the regular season. Still, it was not unreasonable to expect a senior southpaw like Maloney could dominate an already-slumping Ridgeland offense and take a Game 1 win. For Michael Paul to outduel Stephen Joe in Game 2… that was the surprise of the entire championship week. Paul held a 7-5 record and 3.05 ERA coming into the ballgame, and had already been roughed up in the postseason by Picayune. However, his last start was a 6-inning, 8-strikeout gem against West Jones – a team many felt would be the South representative at Trustmark. Still, Paul’s resume just didn’t match that of Joe, a Titan senior whose only loss was his first of the year against a formidable Northwest Rankin club. Joe hadn’t allowed a single earned run in 
the postseason and struck out 11 Bearcats in a dominating regular season win.
Joe was dominant once more in Game 2, but Paul matched him pitch-for-pitch, living on the outside corner producing ground ball outs. No runs were scored until the bottom of the 5th, when Ridgeland took a 1-0 lead that seemed insurmountable. Yet, it only lasted a few minutes, as Long Beach took the lead for good in the top of the sixth, scoring two runs on two hits and a crucial error by second baseman Ricky Kennedy. I had both runs scored as unearned, but inexplicably, the official scorekeeper ruled one of the runs earned to Joe, despite the error coming with two outs on a play that would have been the third. Earned or unearned, the fate of the Titans was sealed. 26 straight wins, 2 
straight losses, and a runner-up trophy.
Long Beach hoisted their first state championship in any sport, and it was well deserved. Coach Mark Ross was hands-down the class of the championships. His defensive shifts and pitching strategies demonstrated a superb job of scouting, and his team’s ability to bunt, hit-and-run, and manufacture runs proved critical in a pair of 2-1 wins. Both games of this series were decided by an unearned run, proving the adage true once more. Defense indeed won a championship for Long Beach.
Game 1 R H E LOB
Ridgeland 1 4 2 8
Long Beach 2 4 2 5
WP- Timmy Maloney (12-2): 7.0IP, 4H, 1R, 0ER, 3BB, 5K, 1HBP
LP- Nick Johnson (11-1): 6.0IP, 4H, 2R, 1ER, 2BB, 4K
LB- Chase Lunsford: 2-3, RBI
Ridgeland 1-3 (Jenkins/Ratcliff/Twitty): 1-11, 1B, BB, R, 4K
Long Beach 1-3 (Ross/Hammons/Paul): 0-8, BB, 2K
Game 2 R H E LOB
Long Beach 2 5 1 5
Ridgeland 1 4 1 7
WP- Michael Paul (8-5): 7.0IP, 4H, 1R, 4BB, 5K
LP- Stephen Joe (9-2): 7.0IP, 5H, 2R, 1ER, 1BB, 4K, 2HBP
LB- Derek Lacoste: 2-3, 2 2B, RBI; Koby Ross: 2-3, 2 1B, R
RGL- Jarrett Jenkins: 1-3, 3B, BB, RBI; Nick Johnson: 2-3, 2 1B, R
Pitching Totals
Long Beach (Maloney/Paul): 14.0IP, 8H, 2R, 1ER, 7BB, 10K, 2-0
Ridgeland (Johnson/Joe): 13.0IP, 9H, 4R, 2ER, 3BB, 8K, 0-2
Long Beach Three Stars
1. Timmy Maloney – P
2. Michael Paul – P, SS
3. Derek Lacoste – 1B
Ridgeland Three Stars
1. Stephen Joe – P, C
2. Nick Johnson – P, RF
3. Jarrett Jenkins – CF
Game One Scoresheets
Long Beach, Ridgeland
Game Two Scoresheets
Long Beach, Ridgeland
* Scoresheets were for my personal broadcasting purposes. They may not be completely accurate.
