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October 19, 2007

Anonymous The Meridian Star Fri Oct 19, 2007, 09:25 AM CDT

By Rocky Higginbotham

sports editor

It's unlikely many folks could have predicted Meridian High School and Clinton being the last two teams standing in a wide-open race for the Class 5A slow-pitch softball championship.

But like most championship teams do, both the Lady Wildcats and Lady Arrows have apparently peaked at just the right time.

MHS and Clinton will battle for the 5A state title Saturday at the V.A. Fields in Jackson, where the Mississippi High School Activities Association will hold its annual state championships.

Game 1 of the best-of-three series is set to begin at 11 a.m.

Meridian started the year with a bang, winning 12 of its first 14 games. But the Lady Wildcats won just once in September before turning it around in the playoffs — winning six of seven contests to improve to 19-17.

Clinton, meanwhile, had a roller-coaster beginning to its season, as well. But the Lady Arrows swept all three of their playoff series and have won 12 straight games to improve to 25-8.

"We've played them in fast-pitch but not in slow-pitch, and I haven't been able to see them play," MHS coach Susan Frazier said of Clinton. "But I know they've got some very good hitters and some good athletes."

Clinton opened the playoffs by outscoring Provine 34-0 in a two-game sweep. The Lady Arrows then swept a highly-touted Grenada team 2-0 and 11-9; then beat Madison Central 10-5 and 11-9 for the North State championship.

Etta Lewis is 20-4 on the mound for the Lady Arrows, and she's one of the team's big bats, as well. Lewis homered and had three hits in the 10-5 win over Madison, while Emily Todd had four hits. Both had a trio of base knocks in the 11-9 win.

Meridian, meanwhile, finished as the Division 5-5A runnerup to Northwest Rankin. But the Lady Wildcats went on the road to top Brandon, then surprised eighth-ranked Biloxi before sweeping Petal for the South State championship.

"Everybody's still real excited and real upbeat," Frazier said. "The last couple of days, the weather has sort of hindered us a good bit, but we're hoping to be able to get in a good practice Friday.

"We had a float in the (homecoming) parade today and we got to hit a little inside. The girls are just real excited about going over Saturday and playing."

It's the first trip to the finals since Thad George led MHS to a state championship back in 1998; and obviously the first trip for a Lady Wildcats' squad which features just one senior (second baseman Ashley Bell).

It's certainly not the first trip for Frazier, however, as she won the 1998 slow-pitch crown at New Albany and is one of just two coaches (Mack Fanning is the other) to win a slow-pitch and fast-pitch championship in the same school year.

In addition to Bell, Frazier relies heavily on third baseman J'Quandra Hickman and left-center fielder Victoria Moore, while left-fielder E.T. Warren and shortstop Olivia Taylor are the table-setters.

Devonna Gilmer is a big plus for MHS on the mound, while Shakira Stribling is the first baseman and Kenyatta Handley the catcher.

Right-center fielder Breanna Hampton and right fielder Tyeshia Pritchett round out the starting lineup.

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