MADISON — Pillow Academy has found the perfect formula to end years of postseason futility: great starting pitching, solid defense and the long ball.
The Mustangs got a complete game from Jared Meeks and three home runs, including a grand slam by Landon Taylor, as they cruised to a 9-5 victory over Madison-Ridgeland Academy here Thursday.
The win gave Pillow a sweep in the best-of-three state AAA Division I playoff series — its first playoff series victory since 2000.
The Mustangs (19-9) will try for their first state championship since 1994 next week when they will face the winner of the Jackson Prep-Jackson Academy series, which Prep leads 1-0. The second game of that series is set for today.
The past few years it’s been two and out in the first round for the Mustangs, but this season they seem to hitting full stride at just the right time.
“This team is definitely peaking at the right time,” said PA senior Daniel Allen, who pitched a complete-game shutout Tuesday against MRA. “We were certainly determined to make it past the first round. We’ve done that now, but this team wants more. And I feel like we’re playing good enough to get it.”
On Thursday, it was Meeks, a junior with a mean slider, who turned in a gem on the mound. He scattered eight hits over seven innings and allowed just four earned runs while striking out four and walking two.
Meeks gave up a two-run home run in the seventh after he had become fatigued, but he bounced right back to retire the next two batters — one with a strikeout and one with a groundball to shortstop.
“I have come to expect that kind of performance from Jared,” third-year PA coach Bart Jenkins said. “This was his first time to be on the mound in the playoffs, and I was anxious to see how he would react.
“On the bus ride down, I knew it wasn’t fazing him just by his demeanor. He handled himself very well.”
Pillow scored six runs with two outs in the top of the second inning. Luke Kimmel and Spencer White drew back-to-back walks on eight pitches to bring in the first two runs.
Then freshman Landon Taylor ripped a grand slam homer to chase MRA starter Nolan Ryan from the game.
MRA, which finished the season 27-7, scored twice in the bottom of the third inning.
In the top of the fourth, Kimmel came up with his second homer in as many games. The solo shot over the left-field wall made it 7-2. Taylor later scored on a passed ball to push PA’s lead back to six.
MRA had runners at first and third with no outs, but the Mustangs got out of the inning with a 5-4-3 double play (James Davidson to Taylor to Sam Rustom).
Pillow closed out its scoring in the top of the fifth with a solo home run by White, who before last week had never hit a homer. He has hit three in eight days now.
“We’re swinging the bats really well right now, and it’s no surprise to me,” Jenkins said. “It’s got a lot to do with getting more reps against live pitching.
“Our guys are playing at a whole new level right now. Even in the first half of the season when we were struggling a good bit, I knew we had potential to be in this position.”
White and Taylor finished with two hits each. Young had a single and a double.
“We have had great fan support, and this game was no different. We had as many fans as MRA. That means a lot,” Jenkins said.
In next week’s state AAA Division I championship series, Pillow will be on the road in the first game, which will be Tuesday. The Mustangs will play at home Wednesday, and if a third game is necessary, it will be Saturday at either JA or Prep.
Jenkins said he was informed last night that Prep and JA won a coin toss on May 4 held by the MPSA to determine home field advantage. Nobody from Pillow was present.
