An error committed earlier in the game by Northeast Lauderdale’s Kennedy Boston had her wanting to make up for the mistake.

The Lady Trojans hosted West Lauderdale in both teams’ final slow-pitch game of the regular season, and Northeast Lauderdale entered the bottom of the fifth inning having seen a 7-2 lead trimmed to 7-4 by the Lady Knights in the top of the frame. Boston came up to bat with a runner on base and the chance to give her team a more comfortable lead.

She did just that, smacking a two-run home run to make it 9-4 Northeast Lauderdale. Though the Lady Knights scored one more run in the top of the fifth, the Lady Trojans held on to win 9-5 and sent themselves into the MHSAA Class II postseason with positive momentum.

“I had made an error, and I knew I had to make it up to my sisters and help us win,” Boston said. “This was a big game for us. Coach (Tyler) Vick always tells us to pick our sisters up when we make a mistake, to do it for the next person, not for ourselves.”

Vick said Boston’s hit was huge not just for re-grabbing the momentum in the game, but also for team morale.

“I told them before the game, everything you do tonight, you do for the person beside you,” Vick said. “You don’t do anything for yourself, and Kennedy, she made an error, and we made a couple of errors early, and she picked them up. We played selfless tonight, and that was big.”

West Lauderdale struck first when Kennedy Mayatt hit a two-run home run in the top of the first inning. It was the last time Mayatt would see a pitch to hit, as she was intentionally walked in her next two at-bats then pitched around in the seventh inning to draw a base on balls.

In the bottom of the third inning, the Northeast Lauderdale bats put together a rally that saw the 2-0 deficit turn into a 7-2 advantage. The first run scored on an error following a single by Molly Moore, then back-to-back-to-back RBI singles by Carrie Grace Baty, Tayana Cole and Jimmyia Smith made it 4-2 Lady Trojans. Kariyah Clemons connected on a two-run double, and Smith scored on a groundout by Hailey Bacchus for the final run of the inning.

“It’s huge,” Vick said of the inning. “Our girls never quit, no matter how far we get behind. They’ve been like that since I’ve been here. They’ve never given up, and I’m glad something finally went their way. They never give up, and that said a lot about the kids and their parents.”

The Lady Knights scored two runs in the top of the fifth inning when Kayla Horton hit an RBI single and Kenleigh Williams drove in a run on a sacrifice fly. The final West Lauderdale run came in the top of the seventh when Hailey Talley scored on an error.

West Lauderdale assistant coach Austin Buchanan said his players can’t afford to dwell on Thursday’s loss, as the playoffs are now the sole focus.

“First of all, hats off to Northeast,” Buchanan said. “Second of all, we have to wipe the slate clean. The playoffs start Saturday, and we have Mantachie at home on our field, and we just have to execute. We get runners on base, we just don’t get that one clutch hit that we need. We have plenty of senior leadership, and we know what to do, so we just have to execute. I feel confident. We’ve worked hard all summer, since July, and we have a plan to execute. We just have to believe in ourselves, and if they do that, we can make a run for it.”

Vick said ending the regular season with a win will hopefully carry over when the Lady Trojans host Moss Point for the first-round series, which begins at 2 p.m. Saturday.

“Over the last few years, we’ve started slowly, and then we come on toward the end strongly,” Vick said. “To get a big win against a quality team like that is huge going into the playoffs, because it boosts your confidence. Everyone feels like we have a chance to win every time we come out here and play, and that’s huge.”

Boston finished the game 2-for-3 for Northeast Lauderdale. For West Lauderdale, Horton went 2-for-4.