It’s not hard to see why the Columbus High School slow-pitch softball team isn’t likely to forget its Sept. 3 win at New Hope anytime soon.
Against the crosstown rival Trojans, as of this year a district opponent, the Falcons got out to an 11-1 start, but New Hope cut the lead to 11-7. Columbus stretched it to 18-7, but New Hope went on a huge run to take a 21-18 lead going into the seventh and final inning of a game with more back-and-forth action than your average tennis match.
“It was like we’d be up, and then they’ll come back,” Columbus senior outfielder Krishuana Jethrow said. “We’ll go up again, and they’ll come back up.”
But the visiting Falcons strung together base hit after base hit, keeping the line moving to tally eight runs in the seventh and holding the Trojans to just one score to notch a 26-22 win.
“That game was the best game,” senior second baseman LaPorshia Brown said. “It showed our ability and what we are definitely capable of.”
The exciting comeback win, Columbus’ second in two games against New Hope, may be the Falcons’ finest moment from an outstanding season that’s not over yet. Columbus went 8-1 in its district this season, taking the district title Thursday on senior night against Caledonia, and the Falcons are set to open the playoffs at home on Saturday.
“The season that we’ve had so far has been the best season since I’ve been playing softball,” senior outfielder C’Asia Grayer said.
For coach Eric Thornton, in his seventh year coaching the Falcons’ slow-pitch team, the smashing success may not have been expected, but it is surely welcome.
Columbus hadn’t won a district title since 2015, finishing second behind Tupelo in each of the past three seasons, and some of its key players from last season graduated. But with improved defense and strong hitting, the Falcons haven’t missed a beat.
“Not that we’ve played like it every week, but I feel like this is maybe the most talented team that we’ve had,” coach Eric Thornton said.
That success is also thanks to the pitching of senior Delilah Taylor, who wasn’t expected to provide the major contributions she’s given the team.
“She was trying to find a spot to play, and she came out before practice, stayed after, worked hard and earned that spot,” Thornton said.
Taylor’s pitching and the solid hitting of the team’s other seniors — Grayer, perhaps the star of the club, estimates she’s hit nine home runs this season — were pivotal for the Falcons to capture the district crown.
But the contributions from Columbus’ younger players can’t be overlooked. Against Starkville, with several key upperclassmen unable to play, a youth movement sparked a Falcons win.
“A lot of our young girls stepped up and took ownership,” Jethrow said.
The Falcons’ upperclassmen generally take pride in looking after the freshmen and younger players, though the opposite is true for Grayer: “I’m the crybaby, so they boss me around,” she said.
That mentorship role can be fun, Brown said, but it’s not easy.
“You have to know how you’re gonna talk to each person, because everybody’s got their own way to handle it,” she said.
No matter the style, Thornton said, his players certainly know how to lead.
“Some of them, like Krishauna, she just comes every day and does exactly what she’s supposed to do,” Thornton said. “She doesn’t have to say a lot; she just kind of leads by example. All of them have different traits, but all of them are leaders.”
For many of the Falcons’ seniors, that leadership goes beyond just the slow-pitch season. Most of the team returns for fast pitch. Grayer and Jethrow play soccer in the winter, and Grayer runs track in the spring. They’re far from the only ones with dual-sport responsibilities, and that can come into play come fast pitch in the spring.
“We’ll gain a few and lose a few,” Thornton said.
But fast pitch remains months away, and the Falcons’ stellar slow-pitch season is still going.
Columbus won’t find out its opponent for Saturday’s best-of-three series until Tuesday night, but no matter whom they face, the Falcons will be ready.
“When they are playing together, and when everybody’s hitting the way they’re capable of, I feel like we can beat anybody,” Thornton said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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