Lady Vikes’ great softball season comes to an end against South Panola

Published 10:17 pm Monday, May 6, 2024

Warren Central had its best softball season in a decade, and plenty of momentum on its side heading into Game 3 of its playoff series against South Panola.

What it didn’t have was an answer for Sadie Bright.

The South Panola pitcher had 11 strikeouts in a one-hit shutout, and also hit a three-run home run as the Tigers beat Warren Central 10-0 on Monday to win their second-round MHSAA Class 6A series.

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Warren Central (23-8) had its first 20-win season since 2014 and pushed the No. 6-ranked team in Mississippi to a deciding third game after winning 2-0 at home on Saturday in Game 2.

The Lady Vikes fell behind 1-0 in the first inning when Nia Fondren hit an RBI single, and then South Panola blew it open with six runs in the third inning.

Kailey McKinney hit a solo home run, and Bright’s three-run blast made it 5-0. Two errors led to a pair of unearned runs and a 7-0 lead for the Tigers. They padded it in the fourth and fifth innings, and Bright shut down the Lady Vikes.

Kamryn Morson’s two-out single in the second inning was Warren Central’s only hit. Its only other baserunner was Adalyn Anderson, who walked with two outs in the fifth inning. That snapped a streak of nine consecutive batters that were retired by Bright.

Bright, who earlier Monday was named Miss Softball as the state’s top player in Class 6A, also pitched a five-inning no-hitter in the Tigers’ 10-0 win in Game 1. She had 27 strikeouts in 14 innings pitched in the series.

South Panola (26-5) advanced to face Neshoba Central in the Class 6A North State championship series.