NEW HOPE — The Trojan softball team won another dramatic game on Thursday, facing defeat after losing a 4-0 lead but coming out on top, 8-6, against Pontotoc after a remarkable offensive display. News Hope now takes a 1-0 series lead to Pontotoc in the second round of the Class 5A playoff matchup. 

Pitcher Kaselyn Harcrow shook off a difficult half inning of defense and smashed a two-out grand slam over the scoreboard to reestablish the lost lead. She then returned to the circle and made sure it was the game-winning grand slam. 

“That kid is just a gem, I don’t even know how to explain her,” head coach Casey Finch Halford said. “Her mindset is unshakeable.”

Though she is usually as productive at the plate as she is from the circle, it was Harcrow’s first hit of the game. Facing an all-or-nothing at-bat with the bases loaded and two outs, she simply didn’t want to let her team down. She just wanted to make something happen, and what happened was a sight to behold. 

“I was just trying to produce for my team,” Harcrow said of the moment. “Even if it was just a looper over the infield, I was just trying to get one and get runs for my team.”

Pontotoc’s rally in the top half of the inning saw the score flip from 4-1 to 6-4 in the Warriors’ favor. Five hits, including a two-run double, put the pressure on Harcrow as the pitch count and score both rose. She responded at the plate, and then allowed just one hit the rest of the way to seal the win. 

“We felt like she was getting her zone pinched. If it doesn’t stay consistent, she has to rework it. I called time and told her we’ve been here before, we’re just going to throw our game. Good hitters will swing at pitches, and if she plays her game, it’ll manufacture pop-ups. Then she flips it over, takes a bat in a high-pressure situation, and just laces it.” 

The comeback spirit has been present throughout the season for the Trojans, something that Harcrow credits to the team’s camaraderie. She didn’t want to let her teammates down, and that attitude is shared by everyone with her in the lineup. 

“I think we try our best to stay positive and hyped up,” she said. “We build each other up, even if things aren’t going our way. We love to pick each other up because we know it’s a game of failure, you won’t always be your best.”

“It feels like this is the part where we break down or can’t come through, and those are the moments where they do come through,” Halford added. “When you expect to implode or combust, they don’t do that. They just come out and ‘see ball, hit ball.’ It’s exciting, they’re fun to watch, and if you saw them day to day you’d see they’re this fun and energetic all the time.”

The Trojans, now 21-7 on the season, still have plenty of work to do against Pontotoc. Game 1 was a reminder of how close the regular season series was, with the Trojans winning two close contests. 

Awaiting the winner of the Trojans-Warriors series will be the winner of another district matchup, Lafayette and Corinth, with the Commodores narrowly taking the top seed on a tie-breaker with New Hope. Both matchups have showcased the strength of the division, and the team that comes out on top will certainly be deserving of their place in the championship series. 

“Our district is unreal,” Halford said. “There are so many high-caliber kids playing on these four teams, it’s just whoever is having a day. They’re all well-coached, they have great travel ball coaches too, and I can’t speak for everyone, but we have great parents invested in our kids. Their dads are out here throwing to them at 9 p.m. or in the cages with them. They just buy in, and it’s exciting to watch.”