The Northwest Rankin Lady Cougars came into Game Two of the Class 7A softball series against the D’Iberville Warriors with a 29-0 record and ranked No. 3 in the country.
They showed it. The Lady Cougars put up three runs in the first and six runs in the second en route to a 10-0 win over the Lady Warriors on Saturday in D’Iberville to move on to the 7A South State championship. Northwest Rankin will play the Monday night winner of the Petal-Ocean Springs game.
Grace Wallis went the distance for the Lady Cougars, giving up just one hit.
“We haven’t been behind too much all year and in Game One D’Iberville hit a home run (by Piper Rushing) to take a 2-0 lead in that game,” said Lady Cougars coach Mike Armstrong, who has been at Northwest Rankin for 18 years. “I think that was a wakeup call because we then scored seven runs over the next two innings and started hot tonight.”
Northwest Rankin won the series opener 7-2 at home on Thursday.
In Game Two, the Lady Cougars started scoring in the first. Brooke Smith opened the game by getting hit by a pitch, then Reese Collier moved her to second on a sacrifice bunt. After D’Iberville pitcher Emma Franklin got a strikeout, she walked Jolie Hays to put runners at first and second. Then three straight singles by Chloe Miller, Carlee Tubbs, and Hannah Sullivan scored three runs.
D’Iberville went three up, three down, then the Lady Cougars scored six runs in the top of the second to seal the game. Brooke Smith started the inning with a single and scored when Collier doubled to left. After a flyout, Hays reached on a fielder’s choice. Miller knocked in a run with a single and then Tubbs singled and reached.
The big hit of the inning came with the bases loaded. Jaliya Sullivan hit a hard line drive to center and it got past the outfielder all the way to the wall, clearing the bases and putting the Lady Cougars up 8-0. Sullivan scored on Tavia Archie’s double.
The final blow came in the fourth inning when Sullivan launched a solo homer to left-center to put the game at 10-0. She batted 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
D’Iberville flashed the leather in the fourth with senior shortstop and Itawamba Community College commit Maddie Porter and third baseman Piper Rushing both making great plays on ground ball outs to first. Then center fielder Kinney Jurich, who usually plays right, jumped on her horse running to her right on a line drive toward left-center and made an outstanding grab to end the inning.
Rushing got the only hit in the game for D’Iberville.
“There’s one thing about this D’Iberville team is they never gave up all year,” said coach Scooter Prince. “Even in this game, we improved defensively as the game went on. You have to tip your cap to both of their pitchers. They performed great. Their batting lineup is solid, in the circle is solid, and their defense is solid.”
Despite the season-ending loss, Prince praised his team, which finished 19-9.
“I told the girls we had a great season and by winning the first-round playoff series, that is something we haven’t done in six years,” said Prince. “It’s tough to play a juggernaut like Northwest Rankin, but I’m proud of this team for finishing second in the district and accomplishing that playoff series win.”
