Fresh off a chance to showcase their skills for state college coaches, five area Mississippi Association of Independent Schools fast-pitch softball teams were back in action Monday.
Heritage Academy lost to Washington School 15-0 in four innings, Starkville Academy lost to Jackson Prep 1-0, Oak Hill Academy lost to Manchester Academy 11-7, and Central Academy beat Calhoun Academy 8-7, and Hebron Christian lost to Winona Christian 3-0.
Heritage Academy coach Bud Lowe said his team had a game to forget Monday after playing well at the Exposure Tournament. He said the Lay Patriots had errors in every inning, managed only one hit, and came out flat in losing the mercy-rule game.
The effort was a setback after winning two of three games in the Exposure Tournament. Heritage Academy lost to Delta Academy 8-0 before rebounding to defeat North Sunflower Academy 21-4 and Central Academy 16-8. Katlyn Petty had the only hit against Delta Academy.
Against North Sunflower Academy, winning pitcher Allie Lowe had two doubles, Caitlin McLain had two singles, and Macy Walters had a single.
Against Central Academy, the Lady Patriots scored seven runs in the first inning en route to the victory. Lowe had a grand slam in the team”s 12-hit attack. Rachel Stukenborg, Petty, McLain, and Lowe each had two hits, while Bradley Bozeman, Walters, Hannah Hawkins and Brooklyn Waldrep had hits.
“Saturday was great,” coach Lowe said. “I think we were a little star struck in the first game, but I think we played decently. Delta is pretty good. After that, we came out and hit the ball and played good ball.”
Lowe thought his team was right where it was supposed to be in its matchups. He praised tournament director Dan Moreland for doing his best to match the teams to ensure the best possible games. He also liked the fact that his team, which doesn”t have any seniors, had another chance to see some of the state”s top teams.
“There were some really top-notch teams like Bayou Academy, Leake Academy, and Canton Academy,” Lowe said. “That”s a level that no matter how we play we can aspire to. Those teams are good teams, and it was fun to watch.”
Starkville Academy continued its string of one-run finishes Monday with its road loss to Jackson Prep. Nikki Ford and Adrian Futral had the only hits for the Lady Volunteers (11-11). Jackson Prep scored in the bottom of the seventh with the help of a two-out error.
On Saturday, Starkville Academy beat Jackson Prep 4-3 and lost to Carroll Academy 1-0 and to Magnolia Heights 5-4 in eight innings.
“The girls played good,” Starkville Academy coach Kayla Mosley said. “We had some baserunning mistakes and we”re not really hitting the ball really great. Julianne Jackson is pitching good.”
On Saturday, Mosley said she didn”t make a big deal that the team would be playing in front of college coaches from Mississippi State and other Division I schools and junior colleges from the state of Mississippi. She was pleased with how her players responded, and looks forward to returning to the tournament next season.
“I think it is a great event,” said Mosley, who is in her first season as coach at the school. “I saw a lot of coaches from in state. I think it would be great if they could get out of state coaches to come. Our girls are lucky Dan Moreland does something like that.”
Oak Hill Academy coach Marion Bratton also was pleased with how his team played Saturday. Unfortunately, the Lady Raiders couldn”t build on that momentum Monday, committing eight errors in a division loss to Manchester Academy that dropped the team to 8-7 and 0-4.
“We had 15 hits but we stranded too many runners and missed too many opportunities,” Bratton said.
Lauren Hitt had three hits, Tori Ellis, Anna Lummus, Mamie Allen (7-5), and Codi Williams each had two hits, while Maegen Ellis and Kim Kelly each had one.
On Saturday, Oak Hill shut out Winston Academy 8-0 behind the one-hit pitching of Allen. It also beat Winona Christian 9-3 and Central Academy 8-0. Allen won both games, allowing just three hits and striking out nine against Winona Christian and striking out two and surrendering two hits against Central Academy.
Against Winston Academy, Maegen Ellis had a single and a double, Allen, Kelly, Williams, Hunter Coleman, and Meg McBrayer had a single, and Hitt had a triple.
Against Winona Christian, Maegen and Tori Ellis, Allen, McBrayer, Hitt, and Coleman each had singles, while Lummus had three singles and Kelly had two.
Against Central Academy, Maegen Ellis had a double and a triple, Hitt had a double, Lummus and Tori Ellis had two singles, and Allen, McBrayer, Kelly, and Jessi Cole had singles.
“Oak Hill played its best ball this season,” Bratton said. “The errors were way down and we played solid defense, and the bats are starting to warm up.”
Central Academy (6-9) held on to beat Calhoun Academy on Monday. The win came on the heels of a 7-5 victory against North Sunflower and losses to Oak Hill Academy and Heritage Academy at the College Exposure tournament.
With only one senior, Central Academy coach Sammy Lindsey said the tournament was a great test for his team.
“It has got to help you because with more eyes on you everybody wants t get better, and there were a lot of people watching,” Lindsey said. “I think the kids did pretty well. We struggled a little bit against Heritage , but when we pitch well we play well.”
Hebron Christian”s Chloe Tapley struck out 11 in six innings. She only allowed a couple of hits, but the Lady Eagles (7-5) committed five errors.
On Saturday, Hebron Christian lost to Winona Christian 1-0, beat North Sunflower Academy 15-2, and lost to Delta Academy 5-1.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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