STARKVILLE — After being down 2-0, Starkville Academy softball rallied against Oak Hill Academy starter Sara Francis Ramsay, scoring three unanswered runs in the bottom of the third.
The Volunteers found a burst of energy in front of their home fans, and after Preslee Jackson walked with the bases loaded to make it 3-2, the momentum looked entirely in their favor. Things were tense inside the Oak Hill dugout.
But left fielder Kara Reed turned the game on its head in the top of the fourth, singling home Locke Meyers to tie the game at 3-3 and scoring off two passed balls to give Oak Hill a 4-3 lead.
From there, Ramsay held down the fort, keeping Starkville Academy off the board as Oak Hill tacked on some insurance runs late, winning 6-3 on Thursday in Starkville.
“I just knew I had to be there for my team and fight through it,” Ramsay said. “I knew they had my back.”
Ramsay was sharp on the mound, striking out half a dozen hitters on her way to a victory in the circle. At the plate, Oak Hill (4-3) jumped on Starkville Academy (4-4) starter Calliope Koiva, who struggled with her command.
Koiva had a great day at the plate, recording three hits — including one that started a rally in the bottom of the seventh — and scoring a run.
The Volunteers had runners on the corners with two outs and second baseman Browning Hughes at the plate — someone who’s been able to put the ball over the fence.
One swing could have tied the game, but Oak Hill flashed some leather at the end, inducing a game-ending double play.
“I thought we pitched OK, our defense was OK, but our weakest point tonight was just swinging the bat,” Starkville Academy head coach Lee Berryhill said. “Give their pitcher credit, she didn’t walk many of us, she got ahead of us, but we gotta be more aggressive.”
Thursday’s pitching matchup was a fun one, with Ramsay and Koiva having played on the same travel team outside of the prep season.
The game definitely brought out the best in both of them, especially Ramsay, now in her senior season with the Raiders.
“It’s always fun competing with her,” Ramsay said. “It’s always fun getting to compete at a different level against her.”
Coming into Thursday, Oak Hill had lost two straight games, one of those a 9-8 loss at Lee Academy on Aug. 8. Timely hitting wasn’t on the side of the Raiders in recent games, but it was a different story Thursday.
Oak Hill head coach Lewis Earnest noticed a change in the mentality of the team in the dugout right after the end of the third inning and really liked the fight they showed against a local rival like the Volunteers.
“Lately, we just hadn’t been able to finish, and tonight, we were able to finish,” Earnest said. “Up 6-3, I was wondering what was going to go wrong, but we finished well. We put the ball in play a bit, didn’t hit it real hard, but if you put the ball in play, you never know.”
The two programs will face off again at 6 p.m. Sept. 13, this time in West Point. That game is just under a month away, but after Thursday’s close affair, the rematch will be just as entertaining.
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