Will play for Championship in Hattiesburg

By Brad Greer

For the first time since 2016, the South Panola Lady Tigers softball team is headed to the Class 6A state championship. SP defeated Lewisburg 7-4 in game three of the North State Championship game Monday, May 15, in Batesville.

The Lady Tigers (28-7) left Tuesday for the University of Southern Mississippi Sports Complex in Hattiesburg where they will tangle with top-ranked Northwest Rankin (31-4) in game one of the best-of-three series at 2:30 p.m. today (May 17).

Game two is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Game three of the State Championship series, if necessary, will be played Friday at a time to be determined.

SP 7

Lewisburg 4

South Panola spotted Lewisburg a 2-0 lead before scoring seven unanswered runs to take a 7-2 lead after five innings in the deciding game of the series. The Lady Patriots plated two runs in the sixth, but could not get any closer as South Panola senior pitcher Gracey Harbour shut the door in the seventh inning in her last home game.

Harbour surrendered four runs on seven hits with five walks and two strikeouts while delivering two singles. K.K Hubbard led the Lady Tigers offensively with four singles but came up with perhaps the play of the game by making an outstanding catch in the top of the fourth.

Grady Beck Wilson, Addison Sanders, Sadie Bright, Nia Fondern and Hailey Heafner recorded singles while Kaleigh Cobb doubled.

The Lady Tigers evened the series at 1-1 Saturday (May 13) with a 8-0 win at Lewisburg on the strength of Harbour’s five hit shutout. 

Fondern broke the game open in the fourth with a grand slam home run.

Lewisburg, who had defeated South Panola twice in the regular season, took game one 9-3 Friday at South Panola.