By Myra Bean
It seems like déjà vu back to 2008 as the South Panola Lady Tigers fastpitch softball team return to the 6A State Championship this week.
After an exciting weekend of North State action, the No. 4 Lady Tigers will take on the No. 2 Harrison Central Red Rebels (26-4) Thursday, Friday and if necessary Saturday for the 6A title. The teams met in 2008 where South Panola won in two games. South Panola defeated Southaven 1-0 Friday night, but lost game two 3-0. The Lady Tigers returned for the third game in a dominating fashion and retired Southaven for the season 8-1.
In 2008, Southaven took South Panola to three games, which is why 10-year coach Ashleigh Hicks called it a déjà vu weekend.
Harrison Central took out Brandon in three games in the third round and swept St. Martin in South State, 5-1, 9-0, to earn its third straight trip to the state championship. The Red Rebels won the last two championships.
The last time South Panola played for the championship was as a 5A school. The Lady Tigers and the Lady Red Rebels have only met once since 2008 in a tournament.
Led by newly named All-State senior pitcher Caroline Dickins, South Panola sports a 24-4 overall record. Dickins is 18-2 with a .99 ERA (earned run average). Leading at the plate are junior Mallory Myers (.382) and sophomore Chloe Morgan (.373).
It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon for game 2 of North State. The parents and fans formed a walk of champions line to greet the Lady Tigers as they made their way to the dugout. The right field lounge was primed and ready to cheer on the team.
Southaven Series
Southaven has been a powerhouse team throughout the years.
“It’s hard to go to Southaven and win,” Hicks said.
South Panola had defeated Southaven 6-0 in regular season play March 29 where they had 11 hits against lefty pitcher Saige Koczka.
Hicks said Saturday the team came in a little flat after that tough 1-0 win Friday night. She figured the team was a little tired from traveling to Clinton Wednesday, then playing Friday and in all of that state testing.
“It’s not an excuse, but the girls were tired,” she said. “That loss was almost a motivation for us. We have to come out fired up and play.”
The crowd saw that in the first game was not the team they were used to seeing. Hicks listed defensive plays were not made, offensive things did not happen, base running errors and not getting bunts down.
“ All things we have been doing all year, it’s like they were not focused,” she said. “We went to the indoor and had us a little pow wow meeting. I felt like they came back much more focused.”
Starting yesterday, the coach said this week in practice they will concentrate on seeing some good pitching from Harrison Central starting with the first game Thursday at 1 p.m. She will let Dickins pitch to the team to see some of the spins the girls will see. They will also work on getting those runs in.
“We will be working o lot offensively of trying to score runs because I feel like these will be close ballgames,” Hicks said. “We can’t go in thinking like we are going to score runs. We have to go in thinking we will one or two across and then have to play heck of a defense. They are a good team. We are going to have to get mentally prepared. We have to be mentally focused and mentally strong.”
Harrison Central has only allowed 53 runs, 22 earned this season which South Panola has only allowed 35 runs, 24 earned.
Hicks is not concerned that defense and pitching will be top notch, but scoring runs will be her emphasis.
“When we get those chances, we have to run score runs,” Hicks said. “I have confidence in our offense. Even the Southaven game on Friday, we had our chances. We just didn’t do what we needed to do. We give ourselves chances.”

 

Hicks remember the days of struggling to put one or two runs per game on the boards, but this season they have been averaging six runs a game. The Lady Tigers scored four runs against arguably the best pitcher in the state at the No. 1 team Neshoba Central. South Panola handed Neshoba Central its only loss of the season.

“Our confidence should be high,” Hicks said.

 

Leading the Harrison Central defensive attack are sophomore pitcher Kristine Cade, No. 7, (12-2) and senior pitcher Madison Burge, No. 29, (8-1). Cade has a .89 ERA. She has allowed 51 hits, 33 runs, 11 earned runs, walked 199 and struck out 107 of 353 batters she faced. Burge has allowed 14 hits, 14 runs, six earned, walked three, struck out 97 of the 276 batters she faced.

 

Red Rebel offense is led by senior Simone McKinney, No. 1 who has a .567 average with 55 hits, .584 on base percentage, seven RBIs (runs batted in), and 38 runs. Following McKinney is No. 5 junior Desirea Lindsey, with a .469 average, 38 hits, 26 runs and 10 RBIs.

Overall the team has a .364 on base percentage, .86 ERA and a fielding percentage of .907.

Compared to South Panola who has a .949 fielding percentage, .432 on base percentage, has allowed 94 hits, 188 strikeouts on 599 batters faced.

 

“The way I hear it they have two or three hitters and good pitching,” Hicks said.

 

Lineup

Hicks spoke about the lineup and what the seniors on the team are expected to do during the state championship series. The championship games will be held at Freedom Ridge Park in Jackson, May 12-14.

Dickins, who signed with Itawamba Community College, has to bring her A-game, according to Hicks.

 

“She’s going to have to lead us verbally, emotionally, physically,” she said. “She’s going to have to fight hard because our team looks to her as the leader in the circle.”

 

The other seniors Rebekah Garner, Haley Reid, Amber Helmes and Bethany Cotten are all going to have to bring leadership, Hicks said.

“Whether they are on the field or not, they are going to have to bring leadership and that mentality that “we have this” no matter what happens that we can come back from,” she added. “In the past if somebody scored on us, we were done. It was over and we wouldn’t come back. I think this team mentally does a better job fighting literally to the last pitch. This is where our seniors are going to have to come in and make everyone have that mentality.”

 

As for the rest of the starting lineup, leadoff batters are Chloe Morgan and Myers. Five of the nine batters bat to the left. Hicks said the defense has to do some shifting around to deal with left handed batters. Because many times the Lady Tigers do not get the ball out of the infield, speed is their friend. The first two batters are slappers to the left that can power slap, bunt and 50 percent swing, according to Hicks.

 

“When they get on, they start our momentum. Our scouting reports said if you get the 1-2 out, you have a better chance. If let the 1-2 get on, everybody else follows through. You don’t have a chance against us if you don’t get our 1-2,” she said.

 

The goal is Chloe gets on whichever way possible, Hicks said.

“Then Mallory can swing away and move her or bunt and move her,” she said.

Following Myers are Dickins and Ali Cummins who come with the power swings who have 21 and 20 RBIs, respectively.

 

After Cummins is another power hitter, senior Reid, from both sides, bunt or power hit.

After Reid are Morgan Parker, Sydney and Maci Kirkland.

“Maci has really been putting the ball in play for us,” Hicks said. “She has been making things happen.

“Then start back over with Amber which gives you a 9-1-2, three lefties, which is hard to defend,” Hicks continued.

 

Junior Parker is probably the most focused kid I have right now. She came through with that big hit with bases loaded. Morgan has matured so much in this game. She is our go-to right now. There have been quite a few games that Morgan’s put runs on the board for us, Morgan or Ali. Yesterday, I have never seen Morgan Parker so focused as she was in that second game. She led that team from the huddle in the order to the end of the game.