MERIDIAN —
For head coach Cary Luke and the West Lauderdale softball team, patience was the key during their playoff series against North Pike.
After dropping Game 1 7-2, the Knights rallied back to win Game 2 3-2 and Game 3 5-2 at the Richard May Complex to advance to the Class 4A South State championship series.
“We gutted it out today,” Luke said. “We had some key hits late in the game in Games 2 and 3. It was just a total team effort, I couldn't be anymore proud of my team.”
In Game 2, North Pike got things started in the third inning, as the Jaguars took advantage of West Lauderdale errors and put together two runs, finding gaps between the Knight defense.
The Knights offense was dormant until the seventh inning, when West finally came alive with its backs to the wall.
Mallory Turner led off the inning with a single, followed by another single from Sarah Lolley. After a walk to Rachel Lance, the Knights would load the bases for Abbe Bates with no outs. Bates would not disappoint either, as she laced a double to the wall, scoring two runners and tying the game for the Knights.
Pinch-hitter Breanna Sharp would finish the comeback later in the inning, lifting a sac fly to center to plate the third and deciding run for West, as the Knights evened the series at 1-1.
In game two it was much of the same for West. Two solo home runs gave the Jaguars a 2-0 lead until the bottom of the sixth inning, when patience would pay off for Luke and the Knights once again.
The Knights capitalized on walks and defensive miscues to cut the lead to 2-1, when Lolley stepped to the plate with two runners on. Just as before, West would come up big, as Lolley lifted an RBI double to left to scoring Ashley Adams from second. The throw home from the outfield got behind the catcher, allowing Ana Gilbert to score the go-ahead run, and if things couldn't go any worse for the Jaguars, another errant throw would bring Lolley all the way around the bases to put the Knights up 4-2.
West Lauderdale would add another run, as they completed the unlikely rally and advanced to the South State championship game.
“I'm telling you, you just go crazy watching the first five innings,” Luke said We just weren't doing anything. After we scored in the sixth, you think where has it been?”
What was the secret behind the two late rallies? Not even Luke knows that.
“If I could tell you what happened, I'd be a rich man,” Luke said. “A lot of people would like to know how we did that.”
Next up for West is a meeting against defending champion Newton County at home Tuesday, with a South State title on the line. Luke said he was happy to survive the series and looks forward to a battle next week against the Cougars.
“They have had a successful decade,” Luke said of Newton County. “We are not going to shock them, and they are not going to shock us. It will just be whoever gets the timely hits who will win that game.”
Sports
Knights rally back past visiting Jaguars
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Titles nothing new for Newton County
Newton County captured its seventh fast-pitch state championship, outscoring defending champion Houston 26-3 in two games. The Cougars took home the title despite not having a single senior on their roster –– still, few were surprised.
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Embry completes 5A title sweep
In his first year coaching the Neshoba Central softball team, Trae Embry won two state titles but wouldn't take all the credit.
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Morgan takes runner-up at Nationals
Meridian Community College golfer, TJ Morgan, from Bruce, MS, tied for the
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MSU’s Renfroe wins Ferriss Trophy
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(PHOTOS) Enterprise in the Class 2A State Championship
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(PHOTOS) Newton County wins Class 4A
Slideshow of Newton County in the Class 4A State Championship fast pitch series.
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(PHOTOS) Neshoba wins Class 5A
Slideshow of Neshoba Central in the Class 5A State Championship fast pitch series.
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Newton County beats Houston 10-0 to claim 7th fast-pitch championshi
Players from Newton County’s dugout barely made it to the foul line before a celebratory dogpile ensued here Saturday. Indeed, winning never gets old.
The Lady Cougars blanked Houston 10-0 Saturday at Freedom Ridge Park, completing an easy sweep of their best-of-three, Class 4A State Championship Series and gaining a measure of revenge after falling short a year ago. -
Rockets roar by East Central, claim 5A crown
Trae Embry took somewhat of a gamble when he accepted the softball
coaching job at Neshoba Central -- leaving his hometown and his comfort zone for a
new opportunity. - Newton County wins state
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