Neshoba Central captures fourth straight fast-pitch title
Published 1:10 am Saturday, May 14, 2016
- Neshoba Central team members accept the MHSAA Class 5A state championship trophy after sweeping West Harrison in Ridgeland Friday night.
RIDGELAND — For the second straight night, Neshoba Central and West Harrison high schools started more than three hours late.
And that was just fine with Neshoba pitcher Aspen Wesley.
A self-proclaimed night owl, Wesley shine for the Lady Rockets Friday night in a game that began at 9:50 p.m. The freshman pitcher was dominant, striking out 11 and allowing just three hits as Neshoba Central beat West Harrison 6-0 to claim the Class 5A state championship for the fourth year in a row.
“It just never gets old,” Neshoba coach Trae Embry said. “I thought we handled the late start just fine. We adjusted to it today. We seemed like we handled it just fine. I thought Aspen was remarkable. She is just so composed on the mound. She never gets rattled and is always the same, no matter what happens. And I thought we played good defense behind her.”
The Lady Rockets finish the season with a sparkling 27-1 record and likely No. 1 ranking in the state. Neshoba got all the runs they needed in the first inning when Kayla Robertson singled with one out. She moved to second on a single by Rivers Gray and came home on a fielder’s choice by Makenzie Barnett for an early 1-0 lead.
That was all the run support that Wesley would need as she struck out eight of the first nine batters she faced. She struck out 14 Lady Hurricanes the night before. But this time, Wesley got a little help from her defense. Robertson made a sparkling play in the bottom of the fourth as she dove for a ground ball up the middle, spun over on the ground and threw a strike to first base to nail the runner. An inning later, Robertson easily rolled a double play that snuffed out West Harrison’s first hit of the game.
“Even when Aspen wasn’t striking people out, we were outstanding in the field behind her,” Embry said. “We made some nice plays in the field. This team has come a really long way. They struggled a bit at the first of the season. But they have worked hard and gotten better as the season has went on.”
Neshoba went up 2-0 in the top of the fourth when Makenzie Barnett blasted a solo home run to center field.
That score stood until the top of the seventh inning when the first three Lady Rockets reached base. Then, East Central Community College signee Madilyn McMahan blasted a grand slam home run to give Neshoba a 6-0 lead.
Wesley got the last three outs, two on groundouts and one on a strikeout to give Neshoba its fourth straight Class 5A state championship. On the year, Wesley finished with a 23-1 record and only gave up 10 runs all season — only five of which were earned.
“I was just real comfortable out there,” Wesley said. “I really like pitching, and night and the cold doesn’t bother me either. I think I throw a little harder in the cold. And my defense really made some nice plays behind me tonight. This just never gets old.”
