The Saturday baseball doubleheader between the Southside High School Panthers and Wilcox Central Jaguars almost never happened.

For both teams, it was good to be out on the field again. The Jaguars are fielding their first team since 1998, while the Panthers were nearly a team that wasn’t before coach James Goodwin took the helm just a couple of weeks ago.

Southside rallied for four runs in the sixth inning of the nightcap to beat Wilcox Central, 7-4, and earn a doubleheader sweep at Wallace Community College-Selma.

To see his team improve to 3-0 on the young season was what Goodwin described as a “Fantasy Island sort of thing.”

“For a team that wasn’t going to participate this season,” Goodwin said, “we have a pretty good team.”

Goodwin had umpired Dixie Youth Baseball last summer, but was in the dugout as he watched his Panthers rally. Clyde Brown’s squeeze bunt scored Ricky McConico from third base to highlight a four-run sixth that helped the Panthers come back from a 4-2 deficit to remain unbeaten.

“They’re showing me they’re never down,” Goodwin said of his team’s rally. “I’m glad to be coaching. This is a dream come true.”

Marcus Perryman opened the sixth with a triple to deep centerfield. He then scored the tying run when McConico’s infield pop fly was dropped along the right field line and bounced into the Wilcox Central dugout, sending McConico to second.

After McConico took third on a wild pitch and Rolando Brown walked and stole second, Clyde Brown dropped down the bunt toward pitcher Rico Tolar, whose throw to the plate was late to get McConico, giving the Panthers the 5-4 lead. The bunt also advanced Rolando Brown to third base, while Clyde Brown took second on the play.

Anthony Harrison drove in Rolando Brown with an infield grounder to make it 6-4. Cory Jackson capped the inning when he scorched reliever Edward Grayson’s offering into left field to score Clyde Brown and make it 7-4.

After Southside had easily won the first game, 14-2, Wilcox Central pitcher Rico Tolar looked to even things in the nightcap. Tolar fanned the side in the first inning, retiring the Panthers on 12 pitches – nine of them strikes. The eight-grade hurler gave up a walk and hit a batter in the second, but still struck out the side with a blazing fastball that had the Southside batters swinging late.

The Jaguars broke through in the third off Southside pitcher Cory Jackson. Eric Crishon went all the way to second when his infield pop-up was dropped, then moved to third on a passed ball. Charles Nicholson followed with a solid single to right field to score Crishon.

After he stole second and third, Nicholson scored on a passed ball to make it 2-0.

One out later, Denorro Stallworth walked, stole second and third, and scored on a wild pitch to up the Jaguars’ lead to 3-0.

The Panthers got a run back in the bottom of the third when Jackson singled with one out, moved to third on a single by Jermarcus Hardy and scored on Rendell Rudolph’s sacrifice fly to centerfield.

Wilcox Central got the run back in the top of the fourth on a walk to Tolar, who then stole second and third. After Gary Mingo walked and took second, Tolar scored when Jackson’s pickoff throw at second sailed into centerfield.

Southside tallied another run in the bottom of the fourth when Marcus Perryman walked with one out and went to third on a wild pickoff throw by Tolar that flew into right field. McConico then stroked a double to left field to bring the Panthers back to within 4-2.

Although his team was unable to hold on to the lead, Wilcox Central coach James Moton was glad to be here.

“It’s good to play baseball again Wilcox County,” Moton said. “We’re young. We’ve got a lot of seventh, eighth and ninth graders, but we’re learning about baseball every day.”

The first game was a much easier victory for the Panthers. Jeffery Anderson’s RBI double sparked a seven-run first inning that put Southside in front for good.

Jackson opened the inning with a bunt that was fielded by catcher Terry Johnson, who threw the ball into right field, sending Jackson to third. Hardy followed with a bloop single to center, scoring Jackson.

After Hardy stole second and third, McConico coaxed a walk. Hardy then stole home as McConico distracted pitcher Issac Moody. McConico would eventually move to second on a balk and score on Anderson’s double to the left-centerfield gap. Anderson then scored when Latrell Richardson’s fly ball to centerfield was dropped, giving the Panthers a 4-1 lead.

One out later, Harrison drove in Richardson with a sacrifice fly. Clyde Brown walked, went to second on a balk and scored on a fielding error that allowed Perryman to reach. Perryman eventually scored on a dropped third strike to Jackson to make it 7-1.

The Panthers added four runs in the second inning to put the game out of reach. Run-scoring singles from Anderson, Harrison and Clyde Brown highlighted the frame.