Lucy Cochran pitches East Union past Loyd Star 3-1 in MHSAA 2A Championship Game 1

HATTIESBURG — The stage hasn't been too big for East Union eighth-grader and reigning Class 2A Miss Softball Lucy Cochran this season.

The question entering Tuesday's 2A Championship opener was if the championship stage would overwhelm her.

The answer: an emphatic "no."

Cochran was dominant in the circle, striking out 10 batters en route to a 3-1 win for the Lady Urchins at the Southern Miss Softball Complex.

The win gave East Union (31-5) the 1-0 series lead. Game 2 is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday on this same field. If Cochran pitches the way she did Tuesday, it may be a moot point.

"I'll be honest," Cochran said. "My nerves were all over the place before the game, but once I got a couple of innings under my belt, I was able to calm down and just pitch."

And pitch she did — Cochran worked seven innings, allowing just one run on five hits and one walk. She hurled 66 of her 90 pitches for strikes.

The East Union (31-5) offense did the rest. The Lady Urchins scored three runs on five hits and two walks, benefitting from three errors by Loyd Star (27-6).

The Lady Urchins scored a run in the first on a fielding error and two more in the fourth — one on a wild pitch and the other on an RBI fielder's choice groundout.

"We did just enough," East Union coach Josh Blythe said. "But it's been that way all year. We've had to put it together and produce runs all year, and we did it again today."

Loyd Star's lone run came in the sixth, when Alyssa Leggett laced an 0-2 pitch to right field to bring home Abby Burnette.