At noon Monday, Vicksburg High’s baseball team found out that there is season is done.

The Mississippi High School Activities ruled earlier Monday morning that the Gators would not be allowed to resume their Class 4A playoff game with Saltillo. On Saturday, the game had been suspended because of rain in the top of the sixth inning with Saltillo in front, 5-1.

Under National Federation Baseball rules, a team leading after five complete innings made the contest complete and the MHSAA said that overrules any agreement between the two schools that may have been made to have the game resumed Monday afternoon. A key component of the MHSAA ruling was that Ridgeland had called its Game 3 with Tishomingo County at 2-0 in the fifth inning. Tishomingo County protested and the MHSAA denied it and both Class 4A series were declared over.

The loss ends the 15th ranked Gators’ season at 18-8. The Gators started eight seniors and were a preseason favorite to make it back to the Class 4A championship series at Trustmark Park.

Vicksburg senior centerfielder Trey Prentiss got the news from coach Jamie Creel at the noon meeting at the school.

“Coach told us he did everything he could to give us a shot at playing it out. Nobody liked what happened, but in the end, it was us who put us in this bad situation.

“Of course, I wish they would’ve let us play. A game is never over until the final out. I can see that the Ridgeland series came back and affected us, but they were on their third game and we were on just our second,” Prentiss said.

Saltillo coach Johnny Bolen initially agreed with Creel to have the game resumed on Monday when his team left Bazinsky Field after a 30-minute rain delay Saturday afternoon. Then a text changed his mind.

“On the way back, I got a text from some one who looked up the National Federation rule book about when games can be called. Sunday, I read it and by then I heard Tishomingo County and Ridgeland had had the same type of game, and that one had been called. Monday morning, we called the MHSAA to find out and they made their ruling,” Bolen said.

With a two-game sweep, Saltillo (14-13) moves on to face Neshoba Central in the second round beginning Thursday. Bolen said he still feels bad for the Gator players.

“I hate for it for their kids. I understand Jamie’s position that we had agreed to play it out but the federation rule book is pretty clear and it is considered a completed game,” Bolen said.

Prentiss says he feels no ill will toward the Tigers.

“We have no excuses. They came in here and played baseball. They hit the ball hard,” Prentiss said.

The Tigers won Game 1, 7-1, Friday night in Saltillo with pitcher Dillon Payne tossing a three-hitter. The Tigers, meanwhile, got 12 hits against Vicksburg pitching.

On Saturday in Game 2, the Tigers scored five runs by the second inning off six hits. Vicksburg’s lone run came after an RBI flyout by Prentiss that scored fellow senior Brian Fitzgerald. The Gators, who had one of the better hitting teams returning with three players signed to play collegiate baseball next year, had just four hits in the series.

Creel said Saturday that Gators had the wrong approach at the plate.

“We just did a poor job of pitch selection. But give Saltillo credit for doing outstanding job of keeping us in check,” Creel said.

*

Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com