MADISON – Neshoba Central and Lake won slow pitch softball state championships in what might be the swan song for the sport in Mississippi.
Neshoba Central won an eighth straight state title in Class II (4A, 5A and 6A schools), sweeping Wayne County 10-2 and 6-5. Lake rebounded from a 5-2 loss to Houston in the opening game of the best-of-three series with 9-2 and 13-3 victories in Class I for 1A, 2A and 3A schools.
Mississippi High School Activities Association executive director Don Hinton said the MHSAA Executive Committee has made a decision on whether to continue slow pitch. An announcement will be made shortly after schools are notified. The sport is in jeopardy because the number of schools fielding teams continues to decrease.
The decision will not affect fast pitch in the spring.
Neshoba Central led the second game 5-0 until Wayne County scored five runs in the fifth to tie the contest. Neshoba Central responded with the winning run in the sixth on two-out singles by Jayda Ben and Reese Page and an error.
Neshoba Central jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning of the first game and breezed to the win. Hamaya Fielder led the Lady Rockets with three RBIs in each game.
Neshoba Central finished 33-4. One of the losses came in the North State final when the Lady Rockets had to go to a third game to defeat Newton County.
Wayne County defeated North Pike in the South State final.
Lake wrapped up its first state championship when Katlyn Lott singled in a run in the bottom of the sixth inning of the third game, capping a four-run rally, for the 13-3 victory under the 10-run mercy rule.
Lake took a 3-0 lead with two runs in the first and one in the second. After Houston got on the scoreboard with a run in the top of the the third on an RBI single by Sydney Bean, Lake broke the game open with three in the bottom of the inning. Kate Gladney had the big hit in the third for Lake with a triple.
Lake beat Southeast Lauderdale in the South State final and Houston downed East Webster in the North state final.
