Lady Rockets go for ninth straight state championship

The Neshoba Central Lady Rockets open their run for a ninth straight fast-pitch softball state championship this weekend when they take on Lake Cormorant.

The Lady Rockets will host Lake Cormorant Friday at 6 p.m. They travel there on Saturday. If a third game is needed, it will be played at Neshoba Central on Monday.

The Lady Rockets closed out the season last week with a 13-7 win over Wayne County and an 11-8 win over Northwest Rankin in a game that went nine innings.

“We picked up two big wins last week,” Coach Zach Sanders said. “We came back and beat Northwest Rankin, a team that beat us earlier this year. It went nine innings and our girls wouldn’t be denied.”

Lady Rockets 13

Wayne County 7

The Lady Rockets came on strong in the late innings to defeat Wayne County.

Neshoba Central scored two in the second, eight in the fourth and three in the fifth. Wayne County scored three in the first, one in the fourth and three in the fifth.

Mauhree Jones was the winning pitcher. She had five strike outs. Jones helped her cause at the plate as she it a home run and a single. She scored a run and knocked in three more.

Tenly Grisham hit a double and a single. She scored two runs and knocked in four more. Lanayah Henry hit a double, scored two runs and knocked in a RBI. Myra Willis hit a double and two singles. She knocked in two runs.

Lady Rockets 7

NW Rankin 5

The Lady Rockets scored in the late innings to avenge an earlier loss to Northwest Rankin.

The Lady Rockets scored one in the third, one in the fifth, one in the sixth, one in the seventh, one in the eighth and two in the ninth. Northwest scored one in the first, one in the sixth, two in the seventh and one in the eighth.

 Henry pitched nine innings to take the win. She had five strikeouts.

Henry hit a double and a triple. Grisham hit a double and  a single and scored two runs. Jones hit a double. Charmayne Morris hit a double and two singles. She scored one run and knocked in two more.