‘That boy hits bombs.’ D’Iberville baseball’s MSU commit flashes big power in Game 1 win
Logan Forsythe got every bit a fifth-inning pitch and the D’Iberville Warriors are rolling into Game 2 of their Class 6A playoff series against Harrison Central with a 1-0 lead.
The Mississippi State commit, who bats leadoff and plays second, rocked a fastball into the pine trees beyond the left field fence for a three-run homer to put an exclamation point on an 8-2 victory over the Red Rebels Friday night.
It was the junior’s second homer of the season, but it came as no surprise to his coach, Craigin Gilbert, or teammates.
“I saw it and I was like that dude’s gone,” D’Iberville starting pitcher Blake Gollott said. “He’s got that kind of power. That boy hits bombs.”
Forsythe got exactly the pitch he was looking for.
“I got a curveball in the dirt so I was sitting fastball,” he said. “He threw me an inside fastball and I just turned on it.
“It did feel good. It just jumped off the bat.”
Mississippi State commit Logan Forsythe fulfilling his potential
Forsythe, who is the team’s best base-stealing threat, is regarded as a versatile prospect who throws with velocity of the mound, plays a slick infield and fits in well in the outfield when needed.
On Friday, he showed that he’s made significant progress at the plate since first verbally committing to the Bulldogs prior to his freshman campaign in January of 2019. He finished 2-for-2 with four RBI and three runs scored.
Forsythe’s batting average climbed to .368 with two homers, 16 RBI and 29 runs scored.
“He’s got really good hand speed and unbelievable pop. You saw that tonight,” Gilbert said. “He can leave any yard.”
The two teams meet again at 7 p.m. on Saturday with the Red Rebels (16-13) looking to stay alive and force a Game 3 at 7 p.m. on Monday back in D’Iberville (16-8).
Blake Gollott battles through for D’Iberville
Not all went as planned for D’Iberville Friday with its talented ace, Gollott, struggling with his control at times. But good teams find away and that’s exactly what happened for the Warriors.
Gollott (8-1) allowed two runs on two hits in four innings, leaving the game after walking the leadoff man to begin the fifth inning. He struck out seven and walked six.
With the help of four fourth-inning walks, D’Iberville took the lead at 4-1 with a three-run fourth inning that included a pair of RBI singles from the two guys in the bottom of the lineup - sophomore catcher Colby Wilson and senior right fielder Micah Groue.
Harrison Central starting pitcher Christian Turner, who hit a solo home run in the third, struggled with his control, giving up seven walks in three innings to take the loss.
Harrison Central coach Neil Frederic was pleased with how his team pushed Gollott from the game after just four innings, but the big hit never came for the Red Rebels.
The Red Rebels had four hits total in the game.
“We had a plan, sometimes we got out of our plan,” Frederic said.” We let them off the hook a little not being as disciplined as we wanted. If you would have told me we got ahead early and got to the (D’Iberville) bullpen, I would have liked our chances.”
Gilbert will go with senior right-hander Jaden Clinton as his starting pitcher Saturday night at Lyman. He is 5-1 with a 2.95 ERA this season.
“I think he’s great. He’s a senior and he’s been with us four years now,” Gilbert said. “He’s a real bulldog. I like him on the mound.”
Junior right-hander Kannon Varnado, who gave up no earned runs in six innings against George County last time out, will be the starting pitcher for the Red Rebels.
“He’s a tempo man, energetic. We’ll have electricity at our park,” Frederic said. “I like our chances. He’s going to get after it. He’s very confident. I love it when that guy is on the mound. I’m getting chill bumps right now because he gets after it with electricity and tempo.”
Other Friday Coast baseball scores
Long Beach 5, East Central 1 — Game 3 at 1 p.m. at Hurley on Saturday
Stone High 4, Poplarville 0 — Tomcats clinch series
Northwest Rankin 5, West Harrison 0 — NWR clinches series
Pascagoula 12, Natchez 0 — Panthers clinch series
Sumrall 15, Vancleave 7 — Sumrall clinches series
Resurrection 22, Simmons 0 — RCS clinches series
This story was originally published May 7, 2021 at 11:29 PM.
