Neshoba Central closes in on ninth-straight MHSAA 5A Softball State Championship with 7-0 win over East Central

HATTIESBURG — One day, somebody is going to beat Neshoba Central’s softball team in a state championship game.

Tuesday was not that day.

Riding the right arm of freshman pitcher Lanayah Henry, the Rockets took the first step towards an unprecedented ninth-straight state championship with a 7-0 win over East Central in Game 1 of the best-of-three 5A Championship Series at the Southern Miss Softball Complex.

Henry stole the show, allowing just four base runners in seven innings of work and striking out four.

“She’s really stepped up for us in the playoffs,” Neshoba Central coach Zachary Sanders said. “She’s a ninth grader out there, doing what she’s doing… I don’t know. She’s some kind of competitor.”

The Rockets got a run in the first on a two-out, RBI single from Hama’ya Fielder, then busted the game wide open in the third with five runs.

Tenly Grisham singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch, stole third and scored on a throwing error. Mya Willis drove in a run with a sac fly to right field, and Mauhree Jones and Miley Thomas came through with back-to-back RBI singles.

Henry also went 2-for-4 at the plate with a triple.

“I’ve been more confident in myself here lately,” Henry said. “That’s really helped me. (The pressure to keep the championship streak going) does put some pressure on us, but we have the approach that it’s just a game, so we just go out there and play and let (the game) play out how it’s going to play out.”

Lauren Brooks took the loss for East Central on the mound. Kinsey Cochran led the Hornets at the plate with two hits in four trips to the plate.

Game Two in the series is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday. If necessary, Game Three would be Saturday afternoon at a time to be determined.