Resurrection erases four-run deficit to steal Game 1 in MHSAA Class 1A Championship Series

PEARL — The defending champs were down, but they weren’t out.

Luke Schnoor and Cody Tingle led off the seventh inning with back-to-back singles, and Resurrection Catholic took advantage of two walks and an error to put up three runs and steal an 8-7 win from West Union in Game 1 of the MHSAA Class 1A Baseball Championship Series Tuesday afternoon at Trustmark Park.

Resurrection (29-8) can clinch its second-straight state championship in Thursday’s Game 2, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at Trustmark Park.

If they can put together the kind of rallies they did Tuesday — erasing first a 5-1 and then a 7-5 deficit — they should be fine.

“I think it says a lot about our team,” Resurrection coach Aron Frederic said. “The way the guys fought back and never panicked. It’s been our identity this season, and you saw it out there today.”

There were many heroes for Resurrection: Jesus San Miguel went 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBIs and a walk. Schnoor went 3-for-4 with a run and two RBIs.

Starting pitcher Levi Foshee didn’t have his best stuff on the mound, but he pitched all seven innings and allowed six earned runs on 10 hits without a strikeout or a walk, and drove in a run on offense with a sacrifice fly.

“We were never going to give up,” Schnoor said. “That’s just not who we are as a team. We are going to play until the last out is made, so it didn’t phase us when we fell behind early.

West Union (21-4) used five different pitchers who walked a combined 10 batters and beaned two more.

Senior Carson Shirley was saddled with the loss after giving up three runs (two earned) in the top of the seventh inning.

“We used five different guys just trying to find someone who could throw strikes,” West Union coach Ashley Russell said. “You just can’t put that many guys on base. I honestly felt like we got squeezed on about 12 pitches that all seemed to come at the wrong time. But that’s part of it, and we are going to have to do a better job of throwing strikes Thursday.”

West Union junior Cole Willard provided most of the offense for the Eagles, going 4-for-4 with three RBIs. Greer Manning had two singles and a run scored.

“(West Union) is a good baseball team and we know that,” Frederic said. “We are going to have to come out here Thursday with the same kind of intensity and drive and take care of business to win the series.”