SOUTH MISS 6 SPORTS

March 23, 2025

Prep Baseball: Vancleave completes Region 4-5A sweep of rival East Central with 8-5 win Saturday night

Vancleave came together to sweep longtime rival East Central over the weekend. (Photo by Bobby McDuffie)

By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

HURLEY — Visiting Vancleave won its sixth straight game over longtime arch-rival East Central Saturday night.

The defending Class 5A state champs pulled out an 8-5 win in eight innings to wrap up a three game sweep of the Hornets in the opening series for both teams in Region 4-5A play.

The Bulldogs moved to a solid 12-4 overall with the decision, while East Central drops to 5-10. The Hornets won back-to-back state titles in 2022 and 2023.

It marks the second straight season that Vancleave swept the season series from ECHS.

But Saturday, the Bulldogs had to rally to accomplish the feat again trailing 5-3 entering the top of the seventh stanza.

Vancleave infielder Aidan Tapp makes a play vs. East Central in Region 4-5A play. (Photo by Bobby McDuffie)

East Central infielder Jaxon Cripps enjoyed a productive series vs. Vancleave in Region 4-5A play. (Photo by Bobby McDuffie)

Vancleave’s Kyle Capers was on the base paths quite a bit vs. East Central in Region 4-5A play. (Photo by Bobby McDuffie)

However, Vancleave got an RBI-single from Martin Shaw and then Dane McElroy was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to knot things up at 5-5 and extend the game into the extra session.

In that decisive eighth frame, Aidan Tapp delivered an RBI-single for the Bulldogs while Wyatt Adams drove in a run on a sacrifice fly. Another run scored on a balk to complete the tally.

East Central broke open a 3-3 tie with a pair of runs in the sixth inning, as Brody Long drove in a run on a sacrifice fly and Matthew Combs singled and later came home to score on a passed ball.

Anthony Tanner gave ECHS an early 2-0 lead with a two-run double in the bottom of the third frame.

Vancleave responded with a trio of runs in the top of the fifth thanks in part to an RBI-double by Kyle Capers and then two runs scored on a ground ball off of the bat of Max Bates that the Hornet infield misplayed into an error.

The home team then tied things up at 3-3 on an RBI sacrifice fly from Jaxon Cripps.

East Central’s Anthony Tanner had a big two-run double vs. Vancleave Saturday in Region 4-5A play. (Photo by Bobby McDuffie)

Vancleave’s Martin Shaw enjoyed a productive series vs. East Central in Region 4-5A play. (Photo by Bobby McDuffie)

East Central’s Grant Vick and his Hornets dropped three straight games to Vancleave in Region 4-5A play. (Photo by Bobby McDuffie)

Bates picked up the pitching win while Anthony Bonfiglion took the loss.

Tapp had two hits to lead VHS at the plate, while Capers had that double.

Cripps collected a game-high three hits for ECHS, including a pair of doubles, and he drove in two runs while Grant Vick added two hits including a double as well and Tanner had that two-run double.

After taking game one on Tuesday in convincing fashion 15-3 in just five frames, Vancleave duplicated that domination in game two on Friday night with an 11-1 win in six stanzas.

Shaw paced the Bulldogs offensively with three hits, including an RBI-double, while Jaxson Albert and Hunter Harper each chipped in two hits apiece to the winning effort. Capers, McElroy and Conner Mitchell all drove in two runs apiece.

Pacey Baria had two hits for the Hornets.

McElroy went the distance on the mound striking out nine to earn the win.

Hunter Prouty took the loss.

Vancleave’s Hunter Harper came up big for the Bulldogs both at the plate and on the pitchers mound vs. East Central in Region 4-5A play. (Photo by Bobby McDuffie)

East Central veteran head coach Bo Long and his Hornets have to crawl out of an 0-3 start in Region 4-5A play for the second straight season. (Photo by Bobby McDuffie)