Baseball | 4/24/2025 8:56:00 AM

HERNANDO -- The first-round playoff game between the Clinton Arrows and the Hernando Tigers could have several descriptors.

Hit fest. Marathon. A back-and-forth affair. 

However, at the conclusion of the opening game of the best-of-three series, the Arrows could use the descriptor -- win.

Stone Crain blasted a pair of home runs for five RBIs, the pitching staff answered the call when their team needed it the most, and Clinton took a 9-7 win off Hernando in the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 7A Playoffs on Wednesday night. The victory brings the Arrows back to the familiar confines of Arrow Baseball Field for the series' second game at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Trailing the Tigers by three runs, Crain provided some juice for the red and black with his two-run blast that towered into the night sky during the top of the fourth inning.

The Arrows added six more runs in their next at-bats. Josef Walker singled, scoring a run, and Ethan Dodson singled, scoring two runs, as Clinton grabbed a two-run advantage. Then, Crain lined his second homer over the left-field fence for an 8-3 lead.

However, Hernando rallied in the fifth's bottom half, scoring four runs. Tyrese Haggard stopped the damage when he collected the final out and proceeded to pitch a shut-down frame in the sixth. The righty scattered two hits and allowed no runs in his one and one-third inning appearance.

Phillip Burchfield tallied the save for the Arrows, striking out one and walking another, in his one-frame appearance that blanked the home-standing Tigers.

Clinton had 12 hits in the game. Chad Bates, Parker Thames, Dodson, and Crain each collected two hits for the Arrows. In the other dugout, the Tigers amassed 13 hits.

INFORMATION FOR SATURDAY'S GAME

The series' second game between Clinton and Hernando will be video broadcast with play-by-play commentary on Hudl TV. Hudl TV can be accessed on an internet browser or the Hudl Fan App on any smart television (the best method for Hudl TV).

Fans that plan to attend Saturday's game can visit GoFan and purchase their tickets prior to arriving at the game. Tickets are $10.