05/14/2026
⚔️⚾️ TARTARS ARE TRUSTMARK PARK BOUND FOR THE CLASS 1A TITLE SERIES!!! ⚔️⚾️
Taylorsville baseball held off Stringer in Game 3 of the Class 1A South State Championship Series on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, punching their ticket to Trustmark Park for the third consecutive season.
The Tartars fended off late rally attempts by Stringer in the sixth and seventh innings, stranding four baserunners over the final two frames to secure a 6-4 victory and the South State title.
“We knew what we were getting into with this series against Stringer,” said Tartars head coach Nicholas Crotwell. “They are a well-coached group, and they play a great brand of baseball. We knew we had our work cut out for us, and we had to play our best to win the series.”
Junior right-hander Terry Barnes, who worked the final three innings in relief, shut the door in the bottom of the seventh by retiring three consecutive batters after the Red Devils opened the frame with back-to-back baserunners.
“Throw strikes and compete,” said Barnes. “I trusted my defense behind me to help me get the job done.”
Sophomore Nick Arender started the game on the mound for the Tartars, tossing four complete innings with one strikeout while allowing two earned runs on no hits and six walks.
“Arender, coming in as a sophomore, hasn’t blinked in any situation we needed him this year,” said Crotwell. “He’s done nothing but grow and get better and better.”
Taylorsville led the entire night, jumping out early with three runs in the top of the first inning before going quiet until the fifth, when Tanner Horn launched a two-run home run to extend the lead 5-0.
Stringer rallied with four runs in the bottom frame of the fifth to pull within one. The Tartars answered with a solo run in the sixth, where the score remained despite high-intensity situations in the final two innings.
“I think experience played a hand in the success we were able to have this week,” said Crotwell. “We had a bunch of seniors we had to replace from last year’s team, but we had a bunch of guys that have been in the dugout that have seen these pressure situations and knew what a South State do-or-die situation supposed to be like.”
“Offensively, we did just enough,” added Crotwell. “Tanner Horn’s two-run blast ended up being the difference in the game. After the first inning, Stringer’s starting pitcher did a good job of keeping us off balance.”
Taylorsville (16-17) returns to Trustmark Park in a rematch of last season’s Class 1A State Championship series matchup versus Wes Union.
Crotwell, who is in his first year as the Tartars head coach, said he’s excited about his team’s win over Stringer and the challenge ahead against West Union.
“My father worked in Taylorsville when I was a small child,” said Crotwell. “We’d come watch the Tartars when they played in the South State championships in football and baseball because he had such a connection with the town and people.”
“I knew when I took the job that success would find me due to the tradition of winning that Taylorsville athletics has,” Crotwell added. “I’m so thankful to John King, Adrian Agee, and Jeremiah Keyes for trusting me to lead a program as prestigious as this one. Night’s like tonight are why.”
