As Petal held a four-run lead in the top of the seventh, shortstop Kinley Hogue stepped in the batter’s box but was quickly intentionally walked. Just after Hogue was walked, pinch hitter Morgan Taylor then delivered an RBI single. It was a perfect illustration of the Panthers’ dominant day at the plate as Petal defeated Hernando 7-2 and forced a winner-take-all Game 3 for the Class 6A state title.
Petal’s offense scored runs in six of the seven innings while putting up nine hits with Hogue, who was intentionally walked twice, going 2-for-3 while driving in three runs.
“That’ s never happened to me before,” Kinley Hogue said. “I feel like I’ve never hit good enough to get intentionally walked. I was humbled.”
Petal took the lead in the first inning after Emma Kate Fimiano drove in a run from a fielder’s choice to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. Hernando tied the game in the bottom of the frame with an RBI single, but errors by the Lady Tigers aided Petal in staying ahead with a 3-1 lead.
In the second inning, with one out, Hernando committed back-to-back errors that put two runners on base. Kinley Hogue drove in two runs off an RBI single, but Grace Drinkwine was thrown out at third, with Hogue also getting thrown out at second to end the inning on a double play.
“With runners on, I knew that I needed to do something in that situation,” Kinley Hogue said. “I tried to stay calm and within myself and not do too much. We weren’t close to the end, and one swing was not going to end the ball game at that time. I was just trying to hit the ball hard somewhere and be productive.
“I was glad we scored runs, but I did hesitate a little bit. As long as we got runs in and stayed a step ahead, that’s all we needed.”
After Brianna Bryd added a run with an RBI single, Hogue did more damage in the fourth after she hit an RBI triple down the left field line.
“In the playoffs, it seems like my favorite place to hit it is third base, and it usually doesn’t end in my favor until every once in a while,” Kinley Hogue said. “Luckily, that one got through. I’m just glad it scored a run, and I made sure not to hesitate that time so I could get to third.”
Hernando managed to add a run in the fourth off an RBI single to cut the deficit to 5-2, but Petal pitcher Natalie Herrington kept the Lady Tigers off the board for the rest of the night. Herrington struck out seven batters in seven innings, walked and hit one while allowing two runs off eight hits. In total, Herrington stranded seven Hernando runners on base.
“I always try to jam the inside and come with rise balls,” Herrington said. “Today, I mixed in the changeup, which was a lot more effective, and even some curveballs. We threw everything today, honestly. We had to mix it up a good bit.
“I had to work on my focus today. The state championship is a lot of pressure, and it’s the first time I’ve ever been on this stage, so I had to calm my nerves and calm.”
In the fifth inning, Kate Sanford hit an RBI single with two outs, which led to Hernando making a pitching change with Hogue coming to the plate. Previously in Game 1, the Lady Tigers made a pitching change, and Hogue hit a solo home run over the center field wall, which likely played a role in the first time she was intentionally walked.
“For whatever reason, Kinley is seeing the ball well, and she’s confident,” Petal coach Wendy Hogue said. “It feels good to see her come up to the plate. She can do a lot of good things when she is confident up there. Right now, she is staying smooth and seeing the ball. That’s good for the Panthers.”
Petal will play Game 3 on Saturday at the Southern Miss Softball Complex. The Panthers will play right after the Class 4A state title game between Sumrall and Kosciusko, which will start at 1 p.m.
“All any coach wants is an opportunity to play on the last game of the season,” Wendy Hogue said. “That’s what we got. If we’re in it, we may as well give it all we have got and try to win the dang thing.”
