Arrow baseball team off to a fast start

By Danny C. Davis

It is still early in the 2025 Clinton High Arrow baseball season, but the Arrows are off to a strong start. Clinton is now 6-1 after dominating Warren Central and Ridgeland over the past weekend.

The red-hot diamond Arrows defeated Warren Central 11-1 at home on Saturday, March 2, after defeating Ridgeland 9-3 at Ridgeland on Friday night, March 1. 

The Arrows now have defeated Pearl 14-0, Senatobia 11-1, Ridgeland (the first meeting) 4-2, and Newton Country 15-5.  The lone loss came to Northwest Rankin 5-0.  

Against Warren Central, after giving up a run in the first inning, the Arrows scored 11 unanswered runs while collecting 15 hits. Clinton scored 6 runs in the 5th inning to go up 8–1.  The Arrows ended the game in the sixth inning by scoring 3 runs and winning on the 10-run rule.

Chad Bates and Tyrese Haggard both led the way, going 4-3 at the plate. Stone Crain went 3 for 2, and Parker Thames went 2 for 2 batting.

On the mound, Jack Grove scattered 4 hits and struck out 5 on 38 pitches. Haggard struck out 3, and did not give up any hits on 36 pitches.

Against Ridgeland, the Arrows took a 2-1 lead after the first inning and never trailed. CHS added 2 runs in the third, 4 runs in the fifth, and one in the sixth inning off of 8 hits. But the Arrows committed 3 errors.

But in the end, it didn’t matter, with Arrow pitchers shutting down the Titians.

Parker Burrow started for CHS and threw 77 pitches, including 53 strikes in 5 innings, scattering 4 hits, with 3 strike outs. Wes Ambrose pitched one inning with 2 strikeouts on 13 pitches. Senior Phillip Burchfield closed the game out, scattering 2 hits with 2 strikeouts on 29 pitches, including 18 strikes.

At Pearl on February 25, sophomore pitcher Brady Holmes got the win pitching only 2.1 innings, scattering only 2 hits on 51 pitches, of which 28 were strikes. Holmes struck out five and only walked two.

Clinton pounded out 12 hits in the shortened 5-inning game. 

The Arrows took an early 2-0 lead in first inning, with Ethan Dodson singling and Stone Crain reaching base on a fielder’s choice. Both hitters scored.

CHS went ahead 9-0 after a seven-run third inning, with 3 hits from batters Chad Bates, Joseph Walker and Dodson.

Clinton put the game out of reach, scoring five runs in the fifth. Walker was hit by a pitch driving in a run. Crain had a 2 RBI triple, and Tyrese Haggard walked and then scored.

Brody Zumbro and Burchfield threw in relief. Zumbro threw 1.2, throwing 29 pitches, striking out 4.  Burchfield closed the final inning, throwing 13 pitches, of which 10 were strikes, and he had two strikeouts.

And the Arrows bats were hot from the start. Dodson was 4 for 4 at the plate. Both Crain and Dodson had 2 RBIs. Steelman had 2 hits and scored a run. Bates, the leadoff hitter, had 2 hits, scored a run and had an RBI. Walker, a speedy base stealer, scored 3 runs and had a hit. Haggard had a hit, a run, and an RBI. Hollins, also a speedy base runner, scored 3 runs.

Fourth-year head coach Sam Temple had praise for his team after the shutout.

“I am really proud of our young men. They really came out to play tonight. They executed what we teach in the program,” said Temple. “We can score some runs, and we proved that tonight. Dodson was 4 for 4, Bates, Steelman and Walker all had great nights.”

Temple was also proud of the pitching against Pearl.

“Brady Holmes is a young tenth grader with a huge future ahead of him and is an upside. We are kind of a pitch by committee early in the season. We have a lot of guys that we just ask to go out and pitch their best, and we just kind of put it together. We are still looking at a lot of arms early in the season, and we are built on a lot of pieces. 

The offense is really a lot of fun when they get going like they did tonight, and our defense has been solid,” said Temple.

Clinton hosts Starkville on Wednesday, March 5, and travels to Starkville on Friday, March 7. The Arrows then travel to Brookhaven on Saturday, March 8, for a double header.