Newton County ‘steals’ Game 1 vs. Tishomingo

Published 9:28 pm Thursday, May 9, 2019

STARKVILLE — Newton County softball coach Justin Chaney will tell anyone that he coaches “hard.”

That hard coaching paid off on Thursday.

The Lady Cougars mounted a seventh-inning comeback and took a 5-4 win over Tishomingo County at Nusz Park at Mississippi State University in Game 1 of the Class 4A state championship series.

Newton County improves to 28-7 on the year and is one win away from a 10th fast-pitch state championship. Game 2 was schedule for approximately 12:30 p.m. Friday, but Friday morning, the MHSAA announced on its official Twitter handle that all softball series being played in Starkville had been moved to Monday due to rain.

As Newton County got the last out, Chaney told assistant Shelby Bishop that the Lady Cougars had stole a win.

“We did steal that,” Chaney said. “It was ugly, we weren’t doing things like we prepped to do. I call them the comeback kids. They don’t quit; they always think they have a shot. Alex Weir had two one-out hits that started both rallies. Then it got it back to the top, and Landree Amis was really locked in today.”

Tishomingo took the early lead as Mary Busby blasted a two-run home run in the first inning to put the Lady Braves head 2-0. But Newton County’s Shelby Anderson settled down from that point and didn’t allow another earned run and only one hit for the remainder of the game.

“I didn’t think that Shelby pitched great today,” Chaney said. “She didn’t have her best stuff, but she found a way to keep it where it was at. We were rough on the them today. They will make adjustments and get better from this. Kudos to our team because it is what you call a team. There is not one person any bigger than the next person.”

Anderson said she was just trying to stay positive.

“I knew that if I got down my whole team would get down,” Anderson said. “I’m a leader in that circle and if I get down, they get down. I had to do my job. I was just firing off the mound and tried to have a positive attitude. Just throw it and spin it.”

Newton County answered back with two runs in the top of the third. After one out, Alex Weir singled up the middle, and East Central signee Landree Amis tripled to right field. Amis came home and scored on a single to right by Anderson, who also signed to play at ECCC to tie the score at 2-2.

But Tishomingo scored an unearned run in the bottom third to go back up 3-2 and added another run in the bottom of the fifth to take a 4-2 lead going to the sixth.

Newton County pulled within one in the sixth when Anderson singled up the middle. After a single by Brittany Thomas, Lizzy Hollingsworth singled up the middle to drive in Anderson and cut the lead to 4-3.

The Lady Cougars then put on some late-game heroics when Weir singled again with one out in the seventh. Amis then doubled to left to score Weir. After an bunt single by Katelyn Gipson, Anderson drove a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Amis and gave the Lady Cougars the game winner. 

“I love that bunch,” Chaney said. “Because you chew on them and then they go back out there in the seventh. Shelby could see it. And then what about the catch by Lanie Phillips. I’m going to steal one from Coach Fanning: ‘If I can’t beat you with my bat, I’m going to beat you with my glove.’ That was a heck of a high school softball play right there. Katelyn had a rough day at the plate but got down a huge bunt for us. So you fight through adversity, and that’s where all those Coach Chaney chewings pay off. They are mentally tough.”

Amis ended the game going 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, two runs scored and two RBIs. Anderson was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, while Weir was also 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

Anderson pitched all seven inning and gave up four runs on three hits and three walks while striking out 10.