PETAL – If any Mississippi High School softball fan read the final score of Gulfport defeating Petal 6-5 in Game 3 of the first-round playoff series, the initial thought would be that the Class 6A defending state champions had been knocked out in an early exit.
While it’s understandable, it’s not entirely fair to say that as the Lady Panthers lost seven players from last year’s championship squad and were also under the leadership of a new head coach.
However, Petal’s young team nearly overcame a 5-run deficit and, in the bottom of the seventh inning, had the game-tying run on third base before a flyout ended the game.
“We had two returners from last year’s season, so to say that the defending champs got knocked out, yes, Petal did, but seven of the defending champs graduated last year,” Petal coach Shelly Flood said. “We never had that mentality that we have to be that. Our focus was to fight, work hard, make adjustments, and execute when we needed to. Right there, in the end, we did those things.
“They showed a lot of fight, and I’m super proud of them.”
Gulfport opened the game, scoring a pair of runs in back-to-back innings. In the first, the Lady Admirals delivered an RBI double and an RBI single and nearly plated a third run, but after a delayed tag, the umpire ruled the runner didn’t touch home plate.
Then in the second inning, a 1-out error and then a double set up a 2-out RBI double to push the lead to 4-0. The Lady Panthers got a run back, but after Gulfport loaded the bases and walked in a run, despite the run, it was the first of back-to-back innings that Petal left three runners on base. By the end of the game, Petal had left nine runners on base.
“All season, we have kind of shot ourselves in the foot,” Flood said. “Our defense has struggled to make clean plays. We’ll make some great plays but then shoot ourselves in the foot. I felt like we make ourselves have to work so hard for everything. We only have two or three starting seniors depending on the game, and one junior at times. It’s a young team, and we have to grow that mature mentality.”
Gulfport tacked on runs in the fourth and fifth inning with a 2-out RBI single and then an RBI sac fly.
Petal began to gain momentum in the bottom of the fifth after Taylor Foster was hit by a pitch, and Bebe Bryd hit a double with one out. Morgan Taylor then capitalized with a 2-run double to narrow the score to 6-3.
In the top of the sixth, relief pitcher Emma-Kate Fimiano shut down a potential late rally for the Lady Admirals. Gulfport singled in three straight at-bats with one out, but Fimiano recorded a strikeout and a groundout to end the threat before the senior retired the Lady Admirals in order in the seventh.
Fimiano led off Petal’s rally in the bottom of the frame with a leadoff walk. Taylor Foster first drove her in with an RBI single. Byrd was then hit by a pitch, but Taylor hit a grounder to third which led to the runner being out at third. However, a potential double play was avoided after the throw to first missed the mark, and both runners advanced to second and third. Kam Lofton drove in the next run with an RBI sac fly, but the rally fell short after Macey Bullock flew out to end the game.
“I truly never felt like we were beat even going into that last at-bat,” Flood said. “We needed to get it done a little sooner, but incredibly proud of the fight in the bottom of the seventh. It was some kids doing some really big things.
“We are losing four really good kids. It’ll be tough to replace those. As far as the game goes, we never gave up, and that’s what we ask them to do is fight from top to bottom.”
