Gary Harris wasn’t sure how his players were going to respond.
Following a loss to Washington School in its opening game of the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AAA North State tournament, the Heritage Academy fast-pitch softball coach challenged his players by telling them they were so close to getting to the overall state tournament. All Heritage Academy needed to do was find a way to regroup and defeat Jackson Academy and win one more game.
Mission accomplished.
Heritage Academy realized that goal, routing Jackson Academy 18-3 in three innings and using an 11-run fourth inning to beat Clarksdale Lee Academy 12-2 Saturday to keep its season alive.
The victories helped Heritage Academy (12-8) advance to face Pillow Academy at 10 a.m. today in a losers’ bracket game at Greenville Christian School. The winner of that game was scheduled to play the loser of the Magnolia Heights-Washington School game later today. The results of games played today will determine the seedings for the overall Class AAA State tournament, which will be next week. It will feature the top four teams from the North and the South.
“It was a wonderful day,” said Harris, who is in his first year as head coach at Heritage Academy. The first part of our day was not so great. But to outscore the next two teams we played 30-5 was pretty impressive.”
Harris admitted to being concerned following the victory against Jackson Academy. He said the team had layoff after the victory and didn’t look real enthused entering the game against Lee Academy. But unlike in a 17-7 loss to Winston Academy on Thursday in which everything went against Heritage Academy in an 11-run sixth inning, the tide turned Saturday for his squad. This time, all of the Lady Patriots’ hits found holes and the momentum proved to be infectious en route to an 11-run fourth that broke things open and put the 10-run mercy rule into play.
A bases-loaded triple by Denson proved to be the big blow to help Heritage Academy qualify for the overall state tournament.
“I am very proud of them,” Harris said. “Once they got on a roll they could sense it.”
Harris praised the effort of Sears, who pitched all three games, and had “one of her best performances” against Lee Academy. He isn’t sure if the magnitude of the accomplishment will hit his players today, but he is sure it will hit the players later this week once they get back to school and receive congratulations from all of their friends and everyone at the school.
“We still had to win two games to get there, and we did,” Harris said. “MRA is one of the best teams in the state and they got bounced. Teams that are hot at the right time continue and the teams that are not go home. Pillow beat a very good MRA team, and now we have our work cut out for us. We are thankful for the challenge and the opportunity.”
Macy Walters, Brooklyn Waldrep, and Madison Sears had hits for Heritage Academy against Washington School.
Against Jackson Academy, Shiloh Ellis had three hits, including a double, and four RBIs, Sarah Katherine Sykes had a hit, Walters and Katlyn Petty had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs, Caitlin McLain had a double and three RBIs, Tori Denson had a hit and an RBI, and Waldrep had two RBIs, and Casey Taylor, Tyler Rhett, and Sears had RBIs.
Against Lee Academy, Ellis, Walters, and Waldrep had a hit and an RBI, McKenzie Baumgarner had a hit and two RBIs, Denson had two hits, including a triple, and four RBIs, Sears had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs, and Taylor had an RBI. Sears struck out five, walked none, and allowed only two hits.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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