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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

The Thompson Warriors continued their strong start to the season with their first out-of-state wins of the season at the Perfect Game High School Showdown.

The Warriors took home wins over Georgia’s Dublin Fighting Irish on Thursday, Feb. 29 at the Hoover Met and Mississippi’s Hernando Tigers at Jim “Peanut” Davenport Field on Friday, March 1.

They closed out the tournament with a competitive 5-3 loss to Florida powerhouse IMG Academy and a 9-2 defeat to North Carolina’s Wesleyan Christian on Saturday, March 2.

Thompson got going early in its battle with Dublin as Peryn Bland hit a double on the first pitch of the game followed by a D’Marion Terrell RBI triple just two pitches later that put the Warriors on the board.

Drake McBride then hit into an RBI groundout to make the score 2-0 after the first inning.

Thompson extended that lead in the top of the third with an RBI single by Bland and a McBride RBI sacrifice fly to put it in front by four.

In the top of the fifth, Ethan Crook doubled to left to score McBride. After a hit by pitch on the next at-bat, Tucker Arrington plated Anderson Harris and Ma’Kale Holden with an RBI single to keep the scoring going.

A pair of hit batters loaded up the bases, but after a strikeout, the Warriors were put in a two-out situation.

Bland then singled to center to score Arrington and Braydon Smith and put his team up nine, and D’Marion Terrell hit an RBI single on the next at-bat to put Thompson three outs away from triggering the run-rule.

Ashton Blair finished off the Fighting Irish in the bottom of the fifth with a one-two-three inning to secure the 10-0 win.

Blair earned the win with a five-inning complete game shutout. He allowed just one hit and two walks while claiming five strikeouts.

The next day, the Warriors offense couldn’t score as many runs but still got enough to top Hernando in a tight battle at the newly renovated Jim “Peanut” Davenport Field in Alabaster.

Thompson struck first in the top of the first after a leadoff double by Bland gave Terrell a runner in scoring position with one out. Terrell then doubled on a line drive to left to put his team up 1-0.

From there, it was a pitcher’s duel until the bottom of the fourth when a Warriors miscue put them in trouble.

With one runner on base from a single and two outs, an error plated the Tigers’ first run of the game and tied up the game.

Thompson had to wait until the top of the sixth to respond, but a leadoff double by Ethan Crook set them up for success.

While Hernando got the next two outs, Hayden Craycraft hit the first pitch of his at-bat for an RBI single to score the courtesy runner Harris and put the Warriors in front.

Thompson then recovered from a leadoff single by the Tigers in the bottom of the sixth to earn six straight outs and secure the 2-1 win.

Holden pitched a complete game and earned the win behind a nine-strikeout performance. He allowed just one unearned run, a walk and two hits.

Thompson played well in its first game on Saturday, March 1 as they went up 3-2 in the fourth inning over the IMG Academy Ascenders and nearly held on for the win.

However, the Ascenders scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to earn the 5-3 win before the Warriors finished the tournament with a loss to Wesleyan Christian.