It’s hard to imagine anyone would doubt the capabilities of a three-time champion.
When you factor in that many of the members of the Neshoba Central High School slow-pitch softball also play on the school’s fast-pitch team, that’s a doubly dangerous thought, especially since the Lady Rockets have won six consecutive state titles in the two sports.
But senior Kayla Robertson said some people in her hometown of Philadelphia didn’t believe Neshoba Central could overcome significant graduation losses and the loss of a senior during the season to win another slow-pitch crown in 2015.
Well, Robertson and the Lady Rockets have something to say about that: “Get off me ball.”
Robertson slugged five home runs and had 11 RBIs to lead Neshoba Central to 19-4 (five innings) and 11-4 victories against New Hope in the best-of-three Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A-6A North State championship at Lady Trojan Field.
With the victories, Neshoba Central (26-6) will advance to play Wayne County Saturday in a best-of-three state title series at Freedom Ridge Park in Ridgeland.
New Hope ends its season at 23-9. The Lady Rockets have eliminated the Lady Trojans from the playoffs the last seven times between slow- and fast-pitch seasons.
Neshoba Central set the tone in top of the first inning in Game 1, scoring 11 runs on nine hits. Three of the Lady Rockets’ 20 hits were home runs.
In Game 2, Neshoba Central hit five home runs, including three by Robertson. The senior left fielder said she and classmates Hannah Williams, Madalyn McMahon, and Ali Pike, the first four hitters in the order, took a cue from Neshoba Central softball coach Trae Embry prior to hitting in the first inning in Game 1 and made sure they took it to New Hope.
“He said something like don’t let up. Keep going at them and don’t let up,” Robertson said. “We had to prove to people because a lot of people in our hometown didn’t think we could do it because we had someone really important leave the team and they thought we couldn’t do it, but we can. Obviously.”
Williams, McMahon, Robertson, and Pike combined for 15 of Neshoba Central’s 33 hits in the sweep.
“If our top of the lineup hits, which they have pretty much all year, then it kind of carries over because hitting is contagious,” Embry said. “Hannah, Madalyn, Kayla, and Ali get us going. When they get us going, we kind of just keep going.”
Embry gathered the four players around him near the on-deck circle prior to Game 1 and told them everyone would follow if they took the lead. The first four responded by reaching on a single, on an error, on a single, and on a double. McMahon and Robertson put an exclamation point on the inning with home runs in their second at-bats. In all, Lady Rockets had hits in the top half.
Embry said coming out strong and quieting New Hope’s energy and momentum was the only way his team could take control. He said the Lady Rockets have been through their share of ups and downs with seven new starters. He was pleased with how the players responded and took care of business.
“They’re accepting the challenge now because they’re playing with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder to prove a lot of people wrong,” Embry said.
New Hope first-year head coach Bobby Taylor said Neshoba Central’s 11-run top of the first set his team on its heels and made it tough to come back.
“Our opportunities when we had people on base, we just didn’t get that key hit when we needed it,” Taylor said. “It was just one of those nights.”
Taylor lamented lost chances to score in Game 2 when he felt the Lady Rockets didn’t close things out and allowed the game to go all the way to the seventh.
Kelsie Gerhart had three hits and an RBI in Game 2, while Meredith Woolbright added three hits in New Hope’s 11-hit attack. Kali Cox (two hits) was New Hope’s only other player with multiple hits. Anna Kate O’Bryant had two RBIs.
In Game 1, New Hope committed five errors in the first, including three on throws that allowed runners to take extra bases. New Hope had seven errors in Game 1 and four in Game 2.
Taylor thanked seniors Hope Williams, Mackenzie Harvey, and Savannah Britt for making his first job as a head coach so exciting. He said he learned a lot this season and that he intends to return if the Lady Trojans will have him. Losing only one starter from the senior class, Taylor feels New Hope has the potential to get back to the state title series.
“There are some things I probably will do a little different next year,” Taylor said. “I talked to the juniors and told them, ‘We’re going to work.’ We have our goals (for next season) already set tonight after this game. We’ll work. We’re going to work hard.
“We’re going to work a lot on baserunning. … Hitting wise, we’re going to work a lot more on hitting right side and hitting behind the runners. Pitching wise, we’re going to work on locating pitches. We’re going to work. We’re going to go after it again next year. It is a tough loss tonight, but we’re looking forward to it.”
It remains to be seen if the next opponent will say the same thing about playing Neshoba Central on Saturday. Whether it is pummeling teams with extra-base hits or pounding them with home runs, the Lady Rockets showed what they can do when motivated.
Robertson is confident Neshoba Central will be equally focused when it is time to extend the title streak to seven.
“We just want to prove everyone wrong,” Robertson said. “Before the game, you know how everybody has the little chants, we do ours, ‘Prove them wrong on three.’ That is also for one of our teammates — Mahli Bell — who died a while back. It wasn’t in there for a while, but we brought it back, so you could say it is for her and to prove everybody else wrong.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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