Choctaws take district finale from South Gibson; clinch top seed


With the District 13-3A lead on the line on Wednesday night in Newbern and Dyer County needing a win to pull even in the standings, the Choctaws got that needed “W” over South Gibson, taking eight innings before claiming the 4-3 win over the Hornets.

Both teams got on the board in the first inning as the Hornets scored one in the top of the inning to take a one-run lead early.

Dyer County answered in the bottom of the frame. David Headtke reached with one out on a dropped third strike then scored when Jake Gentry reached on a misplayed grounder by the South Gibson shortstop to tie the game. Jake Stanley then doubled him in to put the Choctaws on top 2-1 after one inning.

The score remained at 2-1 through much of the rest of the way before a run by the Choctaws in the bottom of the sixth. Talon Messer reached on an error then his courtesy runner, Ty Johnson, scored later in the inning on an error by the Hornet third baseman to put Dyer County on top 3-1 heading into the seventh inning.

The run turned out to be an important one as South Gibson scored twice in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game at three runs each.

The Choctaws were retired in order in the seventh sending the game to extra innings. Dyer County then worked around a leadoff walk in the Hornet half of the eighth to get out of the frame unscathed.

With one out in the bottom of the eighth, Messer drew a walk then Gentry was hit by a pitch. Nick Epperson then singled in a run to give the Choctaws the one-run, walk-off win.

The win brought Dyer County and South Gibson to even in the district atop the standings. District 13-3A uses the Southeastern Conference tiebreakers and the tie between the Choctaws and Hornets was deep, resulting in a coin flip between the two teams. Dyer County won the toss and will host the upcoming District 13-3A Tournament.

Stanley’s double and Epperson’s game-winning single were the only two hits the Choctaws recorded on Wednesday night.

Easton Ozment picked up the win in relief, picking a scoreless eighth inning with a pair of strikeouts.

Dyer County is scheduled to travel to Marion, Arkansas on Friday at 4 p.m. in the regular season finale.

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