RIDGELAND — Choctaw Central’s fortunes Friday seemed to revolve around a single call that went against it.

In Game 2 of the MHSAA Class 3A state championship, the Lady Warriors hoped to force a third game Saturday against defending 3A champs Mooreville. In the top of the second inning, Choctaw Central appeared to take an early 1-0 lead when seventh grader Leia Phillips hit a solo home run to center field.

However, during the ensuing celebration at home plate, the Mooreville coaches argued one of Phillips’ teammates touched her before she crossed home plate, which is against MHSAA rules. The umpires conferred, called Phillips out and took away the run, and Choctaw Central went into the bottom of the second scoreless.

From there, Mooreville scored seven unanswered runs to take a 7-0 victory, earning the 3A championship for the second year in a row and handing Choctaw Central a runner-up finish.

“I was told we celebrated a little too early before she touched home plate,” Choctaw Central head coach Crystal Roach said. “Our players are not supposed to touch her before (she reaches home). We got a little too excited, and that’s an error. As the head coach, I’m going to take full responsibility for that. We’re a young team, and we got too excited.”

Choctaw Central seemed to carry the misfortune into the field, and Phillips said it was a tough call to overcome mentally. 

“I was excited at first, because it was a home run, and we all needed that home run,” Phillips said. “But when they called it an out, my heart dropped. It brings us down a little, but as teammates, we’re supposed to pick each other up and say we got it again.”

Roach said as much as she’d like her team to brush off the call, human nature is sometimes difficult to overcome when the momentum changes so suddenly.

“It did (affect them),” Roach said. “When one of our teammates is down, we tend to hurt for them. At the same time, of course we try to motivate them as best we can, but at the end of the day, we hurt for each other, and right there is what started it off, I believe, though we did battle.”

Tia Saunders started for Choctaw Central in lieu of regular starting pitcher Betty Mingo. She went 2 1/3 innings, surrendering four runs, two earned, on two hits and three walks. Mingo pitched the rest of the way, surrendering three runs, one earned, on three hits and four walks. She also had one strikeout.

A two-RBI single by Mooreville’s Kara Hays in the bottom of the second gave the Lady Troopers an early 2-0 lead, and they added four more runs in the bottom of the third. A bunt single by Abby McDonald plated two runs on a corresponding fielding miscue, and a single by Annslee Basham — and another corresponding fielding mistake — plated another run for Mooreville. A passed ball allowed another Lady Troopers run to score, making it 6-0 Mooreville through three.

The Lady Troopers added their final run in the bottom of the sixth on a fielder’s choice RBI.

Mingo, who has signed with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, said it was a bittersweet feeling to end the season with a loss, but she did feel good about what the team accomplished both in fast- and slow-pitch. The Lady Warriors topped Mooreville last fall for the 3A slow-pitch title.

“This was my dream, to come to play in state, and sadly we didn’t win the whole thing, but it was a great feeling to play here for my last time (to play in college),” Mingo said.

Phillips, though, swore it wasn’t the last time Choctaw Central would be playing in Ridgeland.

“We’re going to get it next year,” Phillips said.

Choctaw Central finished the season with a 20-9 record.