OXFORD--This was certainly one of those games where the final score was not indicative of how close the game was. Although the Govs led most of the game, they found themselves trailing the Snead State Parsons 4-3 in the sixth inning. That's when the Govs' bats got hot.

            The Govs scored three in the bottom of the sixth to retake the lead, then tacked on four more in the bottom of the eighth to put the game away. The result was 10-4 Wallace victory.

            With the win, the Govs remain in the winner's bracket of the ACCC Baseball Tournament. The Govs will next play 7 pm. Friday against Lawson State.

            "This was a big game," Wallace coach Ryan Ihle said. "That Snead State team is a really good ball club and they are well coached. They had our number last year. I knew it was going to be a tough task even if they did come through the play-in game. But our guys played real hard all night."

            Early on, Wallace starter Kade Snell was just rolling through Parson lineup. He struck out six of the first nine batters he faced, not allowing a single base runner. He finished the night with nine K's in six innings. Through the first five innings, Snell only allowed one run.

            Meanwhile, his teammates had given him a 3-1 lead. RBI singles by Brody Capps and Ellis Yohn put the Govs up 2-0 in the first, and an RBI double from Carlos Vasquez in the fourth plated the third run.

            But in sixth inning the heat and humidity took its toll on Snell. The pitcher/ designated hitter who was also running the bases had trouble just trying to stay dry. Snell gave up a two RBI double to Trev Higgins and an RBI single to Alex Johnson. That gave the Parsons a 4-3 lead, their first of the night.

            The Govs responded quickly in the bottom half of the inning. The big hit came from Snell, now playing his role as designated hitter. Snell tripled in the left centerfield gap, scoring two runs. Vasquez then scored on a wild pitch to put the Govs back at top 5-4.

            Snell was perfect at the plate. He went 3-for-3 with a triple, two singles and two RBI and he was intentionally walked twice. He didn't come out to pitch in the seventh inning.

            Jayce James did and he was more than up for the task. James struck out six in only three innings of work.

            "This was not just another game," James said. "Mentally I had to adjust to that. So I tried to slow everything down. I couldn't feel anything from my head to my toes. I had to block all of that out and zone it in. I struggled a little bit in that first inning, but then we scored a bunch of runs and that helped me out in the end."

            That bunch of runs came in the bottom of the eighth. Wallace scored four runs on only two hits. A single from Brody Capps plated two, a wild pitch allowed Warrick Wilmot to score, and an RBI single from Slade Seaborn plated the fourth run.
 
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Before the game, the Govs received two prestigious awards. Kade Snell was named the ACCC Southern Division Player of the Year and Pitcher of the year. First year head coach Ryan Ihle was named the Coach of the Year.

Even though he is from Wicksburg, Snell said he dreamed big and always thought the awards were possible.

"I always thought it would be a cool accomplishment and it is," he said. "It was amazing holding those two trophies, but I'm ready to hold the big one. I'm ready to hold Team of the Year trophy."