Petal evens MHSAA 6A Softball Championship series with 7-2 win over Hernando

HATTIESBURG — The wrap on the Petal Panthers all season has been pretty simple: pitcher Natalie Herrington is a stud and the defense plays extremely well behind her.

That was certainly the case Thursday at the Southern Miss Softball Complex, where the Panthers bounced back from a 3-1 loss in Game 1 with a 7-2 win over Hernando in Game 2 to even the MHSAA 6A Championship series.

“All any coach wants is to see their team play in the final game of the season,” Petal coach Wendy Hogue said. “That’s what we’ve got right here, and now that we’re in it, we might as well give it everything we’ve got and try to win the dang thing.”

The Panthers (27-5) and Tigers (22-9) will indeed play a winner-take-all Game 3, set for Saturday afternoon following the conclusion of the 4A Championship game, which is scheduled for 11 a.m.

If it’s anything like the first two games, there will be fireworks aplenty.

It was Petal that shone the brightest Thursday. The Panthers scored at least one run in six out of the game’s seven innings.

Kinley Hogue, who accounted for Petal’s only run in Game 1 with a solo homer, had a huge Game 2, driving in two runs with an RBI single in the second inning and lacing a triple to bring home another run in the fourth.

“With runners on, I knew I needed to do something in that situation (in the second inning),” Kinley Hogue said. “So I tried to stay calm and tried not to do too much. We weren’t close to the end of the game, so one swing wasn’t going to end the game. I just tried to hit the ball hard somewhere and be productive.”

She was, along with the rest of the Panthers.

Pitcher Natalie Herrington got the win, going all seven innings and giving up two earned runs on eight hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. She also went 2-for-4 at the plate.

The Panthers played perfect defense behind her, and Morgan Taylor, Emma Kate Fimiano, Brianna Byrd and Kate Sanford all had RBIs for Petal.

The Panthers also benefitted from four Hernando fielding errors.

“I thought the other night we had a couple of costly errors, and tonight they paid it back,” Wendy Hogue said. “So I expect a close game on Saturday — both teams played good defense and bringing their best pitchers and all their hitters. It’s going to be a great State Championship.”

Hernando didn’t hit the ball as well as they did in Game 1, but it was the lackluster defense that ultimately got them. Only three of the Panthers’ seven runs were earned, and there were several other plays that were ruled hits that the Tigers self-admittedly could have made.

“I feel like we didn’t make plays behind our pitchers,” Southaven coach Nicki Whitten said. “Against a team like them, you have to make those plays. We didn’t make routine plays we usually make. We had eight or nine hits, which is good, we just did not make plays. And that’s not to take anything away from Petal, they played very well.”

Riley Eyster led Hernando at the plate with three hits, but pitcher Julia Shaw was the only other Tiger to reach base more than once (on a single and a walk). Shaw took the loss on the mound, giving up three earned runs on seven hits and two walks with a strikeout. Her sister Janna Shaw relieved her in the fifth and gave up one unearned run over the final 2.1 innings.

“We just need to clear our minds and show up for Game 3,” Whitten said. “That’s all that matters at this point.”

(All photos by Austin Frayser)

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