After a two game sweep over the Madison Central Jaguars, the Chargers have advanced to the north half championship game. In game one against Madison Central, the Chargers took an early 3-0 lead that was quickly followed by a comeback by the Jaguars tying up the game. Later in the game, the Chargers regained the lead after a two RBI double from senior Thomas Rayburn giving the Chargers a 5-3 win. In game two, once again the Chargers took an early lead that was quickly followed by the Jaguars tying up the game 2-2 sending the game into extra innings. In the ninth, senior Brady Stinnett walked the game off for the second time this postseason giving the Chargers a 3-2 win.
Tomorrow the Chargers will play game one of their best of three series against the Hernando Tigers for the north half championship. Hernando is coming into the game with a record of 24-6 overall and 9-1 in the region. The Tigers have forced a game three in both of their playoff series this season with wins over Desoto Central and Lewisburg. The winner of the series between the Chargers and the Jaguars will advance to the state championship on May 22-25 in Pearl, Miss.. The Chargers are seeking their first appearance in Pearl since the 2017 season when the Chargers fell to Pearl River Central in the state championship.
As both teams fall in the 7A Region 1, the Chargers and the Tigers have faced off against each other two times this season. The Tigers lead the series 2-0 winning one game in Oxford and the other at their home field. The Tigers won game one by the final of 8-6 and game two by the final of 12-0.
Oxford Player to Watch:
#2 Senior OF Sam Roy: In this postseason, Roy has truly found his spark and continued his success. Roy bats 0.368 with 35 hits and 12 RBIs this season. In this year’s postseason, Roy is batting 0.467 with 12 hits. With his late success, Roy has continued to be a crucial player for the Chargers this postseason.
Hernando Player to Watch:
#1 Junior 1B/LHP Luke Romine: Romine has played in every game for the Tigers this season and is leading the team in many different categories. Romine has racked up eight home runs with a batting average of 0.390, 36 RBIs and 32 hits. Whether it’s at the plate or on the mound, Romine has made a huge impact on the team this season.
Team Stats:
Hernando:
Hernando averages 7.9 runs per game with 8.2 hits and a team batting average of 0.313 this season. They have scored a total of 238 runs this season with 194 RBIs and 246 total hits. The Tigers have racked up 57 doubles and 20 home runs this season. The Tigers climbed their way to the top of the leaderboard coming into this weekend’s series ranked first in the state of Mississippi.
Oxford:
The Chargers have averaged 6.2 runs per game with 7.0 hits and a team batting average of 0.295 this season. They have tallied up a total of 205 runs with 243 total hits and 158 RBIs. With 65 doubles and 14 home runs this season, the Chargers have shown their talent at the plate this season. The Chargers are coming into the series ranked fifth in the state of Mississippi.
A look at the 7A Bracket:
As the 2024 season is coming to a close, we are down to only four teams left in 7A in Mississippi. Playing in the south state championship is the Northwest Rankin Cougars and the Brandon Bulldogs. Both teams are coming off of sweeps in round two of the playoffs. The Cougars have a 4-0 record in the postseason and the Bulldogs have a 4-1 record. The winner of that three game series will face off against the winner of Oxford and Hernando’s series in the 7A state championship.
Prediction:
Although the Chargers fell to the Tigers earlier in the season, I think the momentum from round two will carry the Chargers to their first north half championship since 2017. I think the Chargers come away with a close game in Hernando for game one by the final of 6-5. Then I think the Chargers will dominate the Tigers at home for game two with a big 8-4 win and advance to the state championship.
