vs
| 02/23/24 - Away | 5-4 W |
| 02/25/23 - Home | 3-9 L |
| 03/04/22 - Away | 0-3 L |
| 02/29/20 - Home | 3-0 W |
| 03/02/19 - Away | 10-7 W |
| 03/13/18 - Neutral | 1-6 L |
Tupelo and Jackson Prep are an even 3-3 against one another since March of 2018, but likely not for long. The Tupelo Golden Wave will welcome the Jackson Prep Patriots at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Tupelo sitting on five straight wins and Jackson Prep on nine (dating back to last season).
If Tupelo beats Jackson Prep with 11 runs on Saturday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. Tupelo beat Pontotoc on Tuesday by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 11-1. The result was nothing new for the Golden Wave, who have now won four matchups by eight runs or more so far this season.
South McCoy made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched three innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with one home run and one double. That home run was his first of the season.
In other pitching news, Tanner Brannigan looked comfortable as he tossed 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up a single hits any time he's pitched this season.
Back at the plate, Brody Wilson was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and one double. That home run marked the first that he launched this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaeden Hill, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run and two RBI.
Tupelo hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Pontotoc struck out nine times.
Meanwhile, Jackson Prep beat Canton Academy 9-5 on Thursday. The nine-run effort marked the Patriots' lowest-scoring contest of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Bodie Akins looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in strikeouts.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Carson Powell, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Major Quin was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-1.
Jackson Prep pushed their record up to 8-0 with the victory, which was their 27th straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.2 runs over those games. As for Tupelo, their win bumped their record up to 6-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Tupelo has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Jackson Prep struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Tupelo came out on top in a nail-biter against Jackson Prep when the teams last played back in February of 2024, sneaking past 5-4. Does Tupelo have another victory up their sleeve, or will Jackson Prep turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
