Herrington unstoppable in the circle as Petal tops Hernando 6-1 to clinch 2022 MHSAA 6A Softball Championship

HATTIESBURG — When Wendy Hogue took the job at Petal three years ago, the goal was a state championship.

Consider that mission accomplished.

The Panthers erased a 1-0 series deficit with back-to-back wins over Hernando, culminating in Saturday night’s 6-1 win that gave the Petal program its first MHSAA 6A State Softball Championship in school history.

“All I can think right now is what a deserving group these girls are right here,” said Hogue, who had previously served as Southern Miss softball coach. “We worked hard all season, the city of Petal comes out and gets behind us all season… it’s pretty special, and I’m just happy to be a part of it.”

The excitement around the final softball game of the 2022 MHSAA season was palpable. The game, originally scheduled for 3 p.m., was delayed more than four hours by thunderstorms.

When the sun finally came out, the crowd was still massive. There was a huge Petal crowd, but also a surprisingly strong contingent of Hernando fans who made the 250-mile drive to the Southern Miss Softball Complex.

By game time, both fanbases were in fever-pitch.

The Panthers (26-5) took control early with a run in the first inning after Kinley Hogue led off the game with a hit by pitch and came around to score on an RBI single from Ryleigh Wallace.

Petal pitcher Natalie Herrington, who got knocked around a good bit in Game 1 and came back strong in Game 2, was locked in from the start. She retired 11 out of the first 15 batters she faced, and two of the Hernando hitters who reached base did so via fielding errors.

The Panthers added five more runs in the top of the fifth. Saylor Burden drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, Emma Kate Fimiano brought home two more with a two-run triple and Brianna Byrd finished off the rally with a two-run single up the middle.

“It’s like we reminded ourselves ‘Hey, we can hit,” Wendy Hogue said. “We just stayed with ourselves. We got a little message from message from a special individual in the district, and the message was ‘Bring the BEEF’ — B for believe, E for execute, the second E for enjoy and the F for finish. That’s what we did.”

Herrington came out fired up after the big inning, striking out the side in the bottom of the fifth to send the game to sixth inning with Petal leading 6-0.

Hernando finally got on the board in the sixth after Riley Eyster and Avery Wolfe led off the inning with back-to-back doubles, but it was too little, too late for the Tigers (22-10), who were vying for their second-straight state title after winning it all a year ago.

Julia Shaw, who was named MVP of the Championship Series in 2021, took the loss on the mound.

“We had a great group of seniors and we hate to see them leave,” Hernando coach Nicki Whitten said. “But they’ve laid the foundation of Hernando softball. It’s what we asked them to do a couple of years ago, and they’ve done it. I couldn’t be prouder.”

(All photos by Austin Frayser)

PHOTO GALLERY