By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

PEARL— For the second time in six years, the Vancleave Bulldogs sit atop the world of prep baseball in the state of Mississippi.

Vancleave knocked off Lafayette 6-1  in the third and deciding game of the Class 5A state championship series Saturday night here at Trustmark Park to claim the second state title in program history. The Bulldogs also took home the Class 4A crown in 2018.

Sixth-year had coach Justin Edwards’ crew took the hard way to the state title, winning back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday after dropping game one on Wednesday.

It also marked the third straight season a team from Jackson County has won a state crown, and the sixth overall for squads in the county in the past six seasons.

Lafayette was in search of its first state title since 2006.

“Such an unbelievable feeling,” Edwards said, amidst a jubilant celebration. “So much hard work goes into this day in and day out. To see it all come together and finish the season with a state championship is incredible. I’m speechless.”

Vancleave never trailed in the rubber match, and rode some big hits and a solid pitching performance on the mound from senior right Levi Tapp to the title.

The Bulldogs wasted no time in setting the tone and jumping out to a quick 3-0 lead after three frames.

After a scoreless first inning, Aidan Tapp’s RBI-double made it 1-0 as courtesy runner Kyle Capers scored. Capers was running for Bulldog catcher Layton Eder, who reached on a fielder’s choice.

Vancleave stretched that lead to 3-0 in the top of the third, when Hunter Parker tripled to left and Tyler West followed with a run-scoring double of his own. Two batters later, Eder singled home West to make it 3-0.

Lafayette finally got to Tapp in the bottom of the fourth, but it could have been much worse.

The Commodores loaded the bases with no outs on a pair of singles and a walk, but Tapp bounced back to strike out the final three batters in the innings. However, with two outs, Tapp’s wild pitch allowed Lafayette to make it 3-1.

But Vancleave responded immediately. 

Hunter Parker pulled into second on a one-out double to right, and West followed that with an RBI-double of his own to extend the advantage back to three runs at 4-1.

The Bulldogs added an insurance run in the top of the sixth stanza when Tanner Willis drove in a run on a squeeze bunt to make it 5-1.

Vancleave tacked on its final run of the win in the seventh, on an RBI-single just for good measure.

Parker, West, Tapp and Bates each had two hits apiece in Vancleave’s 10-hit winning attack.

West, who picked up the pitching win in a 2-1 decision in game two Friday night, was named the Most Valuable player in the series.

Tapp went the distance Saturday night to pick up the win, scattering for singles and striking out five while walking two.