PETAL – On Friday night, Petal did everything wrong. The Lady Panthers committed errors, were impatient at the plate, and did not make pitches, putting them at risk of being eliminated from the playoffs.
But on Saturday, Petal did the opposite and played nearly perfect softball as the Lady Panthers run-ruled Oceans Springs 10-0 to invoke the mercy rule by the fifth inning.
“We talked last night after that game, and nothing about last night was Petal softball,” Petal coach Shelly Flood said. “We didn’t hit. Pitching wasn’t as good as it usually is. All the errors and the dugout was flat. We weren’t ready and I don’t know why we weren’t, but I knew we would be tonight. We are ready for a rematch down in Ocean Springs.
“We needed to make a statement.”
If there was any memory from the night before, it was quickly forgotten. Petal jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning after Kennedy Ray hit an RBI single. KK Gilchrist followed by driving in a run with a sac fly, but a bad throw by Ocean Springs’ center fielder allowed Ray to score.
In the third inning, freshman Sarah Grace Miller hit a two-run home run over the center field wall.
“She’s doing really good things,” Flood said. “She hit one last night as well, and put us ahead. She’s solid. I’m really excited for her. She’s doing some really good things at the plate. Even at the times she is not getting on base, her at-bats are always positive.”
Two more runs came in the fourth, with Morgan Taylor hitting an RBI double. On the next at-bat, Taylor stole home to push the score to 7-0.
Inside the circle, Jayla Weathersby held the Lady Greyhounds to just three hits, walked three batters and recorded three strikeouts. Unlike the prior game, which saw Petal commit two errors, the Lady Panther’s defense played a clean game.
“It was knowing that her team was going to play behind her,” said Flood, explaining what made Weathersby so effective. “It’s frustrating for a pitcher that you are pitching ground balls and fly balls, that you are not making the outs, that it’s tough to keep doing your job well when the team is not doing it behind you.”
Petal looked to put the game away in the fifth inning after the Lady Panthers loaded the bases with no outs. However, Taylor hit a long fly to right field, but Ocean Springs’ right fielder came up with a catch and threw out Miley Richardson at home plate to record a double play.
Despite the seeming momentum shift, the Lady Panthers quickly squandered it with Taylor Foster sending a two-run home run over the left field wall to end the game.
In total, Petal recorded eight hits and drew five walks against Ocean Springs’ Brooklyn Peterson, who pitched against the Lady Panthers the night. Notably, three of those walks were drawn by leadoff hitter Gracie Drinkwine, who scored each time she reached base.
“There was nothing that she did last night that kept us from hitting,” Flood said. “It was all us.
“Last night, we were not patient. We weren’t very disciplined at the plate. Our goal tonight was to do everything right.”
The series is now tied at 1-1, with the winner advancing to the Class 7A South State championship. Petal will travel to Ocean Springs for Game 3 on Monday, with first pitch set for 6 p.m.
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