By MAURICE SINGLETON/Sports Writer

BAY ST. LOUIS — The Bay High Tigers are headed to the second round of the state baseball playoffs after sweeping Raymond in a opening round doubleheader Friday with a pair of mercy rule wins.

The Tigers took game one 10-0 and ended the nightcap 17-0, to advance into next week’s second round of the Class 4A South State playoffs.

The ten-run rule came into play in the first game in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Tigers put up four runs in the inning. Paul Verdin flied out to right field scoring Walker Seymour from third base to end the game.

The first two batters of the inning got on base on walks. Carson Tallent got on with four balls while Ethan Kingston got on by a hit ball. The base runners would steal to second and third. Maddux Mayo singled to centerfield to score Tallent. Kingston would score on an errant throw to second base.

Seymour singled to left field to score Mayo for the third run of the inning.

The Tigers opened their scoring with two runs in the first inning, followed by two more runs in each of the third and fourth innings to take a 6-0 lead after four innings.

In the second game, the Tigers would score four runs in each of the first three innings. In the fourth inning they scored five runs, which put them up 17-0, bringing the 15-run rule into play after four innings.

“It was an all around good performance by the guys,” said Tigers coach B.J. Coor. “I’m really proud of them. We didn’t give up a run in either game.”

The usual playoff format is the higher ranked teams host the first game and the other team hosts the second game on Saturday. However, due to a 99% chance of rain tomorrow in Raymond, the teams agreed to the double header.

In the opener, Maddux Mayo had two hits and drove in a game-high three runs for Bay High. Joel Ulrich had a double for the Tigers, while Ethan Kingston and Walker Seymour had two hits apiece as well.

In the second game, Paul Verdin had a game-high three hits, including a double, and drove in two runs. Seymour smacked a home run, while Xander Ladner and Brayden Pepperman each had a double in the winning effort.

Bay high got two complete game performances on the mound on the night in the two shortened wins, as Seymour went the distance in the first game to pick up the win and Shug Reynolds did the same in the nightcap.

The pair of wins evened Bay High’s overall record up at 13-13 on the season. The Tigers, the top-seed from Region 8-4A, will host the winner of the Columbia-Mendenhall series in game one of the second round, beginning next Friday night. Columbia won game one Friday night 5-4 in eight innings.