February 8, 2008

JACKSON – Senior first baseman Quinn Salmon made the most of his ninth career start, going 4-for-5 with two home runs and a career-high nine RBIs in an 18-9 victory over LaGrange in the season opener at the Wilson/DeMarini Classic in Jackson.

Joe Blades went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs and Derrik Boland went 3-for-4 with two RBIs behind Salmon, as the five through seven stretch of the lineup went a combined 10-for-14 and accounted for 15 RBIs.

Hunter Abrams and Russ Boyd also recorded multiple hits with two base knocks apiece. Taking over for the departed Nick Crawford at the top of the lineup, Abrams also drew three walks, reaching base five times in six plate appearances.

The offensive explosion complimented a solid effort from senior starter Brandon Ingram. Fresh off an 8-1 campaign in 2007, Ingram (1-0) fired 6.1 innings, surrendering seven hits and five runs (four earned). Junior reliever Drew Maddox threw a scoreless 2.2 innings to cap off the win, allowing just one hit and striking out two.

The Majors led from the start, notching single runs in the first and second innings and two in the third to put together a 4-0 lead. After a leadoff double, Abrams came around to score on a balk in the first and then came up with a two-out single in the second to drive in centerfielder Tait Hendrix.

The Majors plated a pair in the third, as Salmon blasted a two-out pitch to left that kicked off the wall and rolled to center, allowing Salmon to chug home for the rare inside-the-park home run. Blades immediately followed Salmon, driving a pitch from starter Ben Hudson (0-1) over the right-center wall.

LaGrange mounted a rally in the fourth, cutting the Millsaps lead to 4-3 on a three-run blast by shortstop Blake Allen. But Salmon would strike again, stroking a one out grand slam to left-center. The Majors tacked on five more runs in the fifth, as Salmon and Boland sandwiched a two-run single and two-run double between an RBI single by Blades to give the Majors a 13-3 lead.

The Panthers again responded, putting up six in the seventh, highlighted by a pinch hit three-run home run by Kory Ison. The Majors iced it, however, with three runs in the seventh and two in the eighth.

After losing five starters from last year’s lineup, the Majors rapped out eight extra base hits, including four doubles and three home runs. The 18 runs that crossed home for the Majors were the most on opening day in school history.

The Wilson/DeMarini Classic will continue on Saturday, with Millsaps and the University of the Ozarks kicking things off at 11:30 a.m. on Jackson's ESPN Radio 1240 AM, followed by Rhodes and LaGrange at 3 p.m.