Separated by only two miles via Clay Street are Vicksburg’s private schools. Thursday night was the first time Porters Chapel Academy and St. Aloysius High School played softball against each other.

Porters Chapel claimed the inaugural win over the Flashes with a score of 9-3.

After St. Aloysius made the decision to leave the Mississippi High School Activities Association and moved to the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools, the two private schools finally battled it out on the diamond.

“I feel really good because they have a really strong program,” said Amanda Yocum, head softball coach for Porters Chapel. “After three practices, I’d hate to see them in three months.”

The Flashes leaving MHSAA – due to a ruling forbidding out of state students to compete in athletic events – shook up athletics for the school. The fastpitch softball team, who usually has their season in the spring, had to turn around and begin their season in August.

Head coach Candice Reeder and her team will play two seasons in the 2015 calendar year. Their last game was the second week of May.

With no conditioning and no time to rebuild her roster, Reeder and her team had totought it out and play the cards they were dealt with.

“Two seasons in one year and two totally different teams. What I’m most proud of is: despite the fact that we are young, my girls put a smile on their face and never gave up,” Reeder said. “Just trying to get the rust off because it’s been a couple of months since we’ve done anything is the biggest struggle.”

Reeder and Yocum have worked together as coaches at Vicksburg High School about eight years ago.

Yocum approached Reeder about playing the Eagles as it helped St. Aloysius get in the motion of playing games again and no school had to travel immediately.

Reeder had a lot of help from parents and her own father to prepare for Thursday’s game.

“They said ‘were not going to leave you hanging.’ They came out here and just started working,” Reeder said.

The flashes also will have to adjust playing in different temperatures than they might be accustomed to.

Reeder said her girls are used to playing in the winter, wearing extra clothes to keep them warm. While some girls might play tournament softball in the summer, majority aren’t used to the heat.

Yocum said it’s too early to call this meeting a rivalry, but because St. Aloysius and Porters Chapel are the only two private schools in Warren County it could easily become one.

“I hope not. Our kids play against each other a lot, with tournament ball and different things, and I’m friends with the coaches and I hope it’ll be a friendly contest if we ever see each other again,” Yocum said.