By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

PEARL — Vancleave’s motto all season long has been “For the V”.

And although it could have been referring to Victory or the name of the school, in the end, it was just as important that the Bulldogs were designated the “Visitors” in their final two games of the year.

Vancleave batted first on Friday and Saturday night in the final two games of the best of three Class 5A state championship series against Lafayette here at Trustmark Park.

And after falling 8-7 in a 12-inning marathon in game one on Wednesday in which they had the last at bat, the Bulldogs bounced back with 2-1 and 6-1 wins from the visitor’s dugout over the past two days to clinch the state title.

“We get beat in 12 innings on Wednesday and it took the wind out of us, but I felt if there was ever a team that could rebound it was this one. I’ve coached for 15 years, and I’ve never had a team I felt more confident that could come back from that and this team did it and can’t be more proud of the guys,” Vancleave head coach Justin Edwards said. “We got big hits we needed them. We’re a complete offense as a unit and not rely on certain things allows you to chip away six runs over seven innings. This state championship is big for our program and the community is unbelievable and we won this for them.”

It had been exactly 30 games since Vancleave batted first in two contests in a row. But the Bulldogs used that situation to their full advantage in clinching the crown and finishing up the season at 29-8 overall.

On Friday, in game two, Vancleave gave starting pitcher Tyler West all of the support he would need before he even stepped on the hill as the Bulldogs broke on top 2-0 in the top of the first frame.

Asher Henley singled to lead off the game. Hunter Parker followed with a double that put runners at second and third. After an out, Hunter Harper’s run-scoring sacrifice fly plated Henley to give Vancleave a lead it would never relinquish at 1-0 and Layton Eder followed that with an RBI-double that scored Parker and it was 2-0.

Vancleave managed just four hits total in the win, including two doubles, but three of those came in the opening inning and included both two-baggers.

The Bulldogs then turned it over to West. He allowed only an RBI-single to Foster Crockett with two outs in the bottom of the second in cruising to the complete game win. West ended up 11-2 on the mound this year, and he finished his career with 10 straight wins including four consecutive in the playoffs.

On Saturday night, in the third and deciding game, Vancleave again set the tone in its early at bats and the Bulldogs then 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, in the top of the second 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. 

Except for a bit of a jam in the bottom of the third when the Commodores scored their only run, the Bulldogs were never really threatened thanks to Tapp.

Tapp wrapped up the second state title in six years for Vancleave, as he also hurled a complete game scattering four hits and striking out seven.

Vancleave hadn’t been the visitors in two straight game since the first of March splitting two road games at George County and Biloxi.

West had two hits, including a double and a triple and he had two RBI’s to lead Vancleave offensively in the finale.

Combined with his masterful outing on the mound on the mound on Friday, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the series.

“They cashed in on their opportunities and we didn’t,” said Lafayette head coach John Walker. “Their guy did enough to keep us off balanced and competed in the zone. Credit Vancleave they got after and got it done. Proud of this group and this is something we feel like we can do every year and next year we got a good group coming back to make another run.”