TUPELO – Ben Hudspeth enjoyed seeing Tupelo’s bats produce some bang for a change in Saturday’s 7-0 win against North Pontotoc.

Pitchers, like the Golden Wave’s junior right-hander, want all the runs they can get. Tupelo pounded out 12 hits, including three by Hudspeth, in its victory over the Vikings at Golden Wave Field.

“This is what we needed,” said Hudspeth, who tossed a 3-hitter to improve to 2-1. “We came out of a hole and got some momentum going into division play.”

Tupelo (6-4) opens Division 2-6A play at 6 p.m. Tuesday with a road trip to South Panola

Golden Wave coach Gary Enis said his club was hitting close to .250 coming in and had not been producing clutch hits.

“We put the ball in play better today than we have been,” he said. “This was a good confidence builder going to South Panola.”

Senior outfielder Collin Dexter, who went 3 for 4, gave the Golden Wave all the runs it would need with his 2-run homer off North Pontotoc starter Ethan Flake in the third inning. The Delta State signee, who has struggled at the plate lately, knew the ball was gone when it left his bat.

“It was a fastball high and in,” Dexter said of the 2-2 offering. “I went up there not worrying about anything. When I start thinking, I start messing up.”

Dexter had a double in the first inning.

Tupelo made it 3-0 in the fourth when pinch runner William Goss, in for Hudspeth who had singled, scored from third on a wild pitch.

The Wave scored four more in the sixth on doubles by Cody Shrewsbury and Drew Alford, a single by Kirk Roberts and a sacrifice fly by Sanders West.

‘Great around the plate’

Hudspeth, who opened the four-run inning with his third hit, kept the Vikings (4-8) off-balance with a solid change-up. He recorded seven strikeouts and walked two.

“He was great around the plate today,” Enis said. “He kept them off stride. That was a good performance by Ben today.”

Hudspeth suffered one shaky inning, the fourth, when he gave up a double to Nate Mounce, a single to Kyle Robbins and a walk to Hayden Stegall to load the bases.

He escaped the jam with a strikeout and a ground ball.

“I fell away from my mechanics and started rushing,” Hudspeth said.