It only takes one mistake.
The state championship signs on the outfield wall at Lady Trojan Field attest to the New Hope High School slow-pitch softball team’s ability to capitalize when given another chance.
The New Hope High fast-pitch team is learning how to do the same thing in clutch situations.
Kasey Stanfield had a two-run single one pitch after her two-out foul popup was dropped, and Lauren Holifield pitched a complete-game one-hitter to lead New Hope to a 4-1 victory against Saltillo on Saturday in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A North State playoffs.
Coupled with a 1-0 victory in eight innings Friday night, New Hope (25-3-1) advances to best-of-three Class 5A North State final series to face Lake Cormorant, which eliminated McComb. Game one of that series will be Thursday in Columbus at a time to be determined.
“It feels awesome,” New Hope coach Tabitha Beard said. “The curse of the second round is gone. It is an amazing feeling. We set a goal, and these girls have worked to reach that goal and they have never lost sight of it, no matter what goes on around them.”
New Hope loaded the bases in the fourth inning against Hallie Frenn on a single by Holifield and infield singles by Kaitlin Bradley and D.J. Sanders. Stanfield was down in the count 1-2 when her pop up went about halfway up the third-base line. The pitcher, catcher, and third baseman converged on the ball, but it went in and out of the third baseman’s glove. Stanfield followed with a bloop single to right-center field that landed in front of the two outfielders and behind the second baseman.
“I was praying a little bit,” Stanfield said. “I just knew I was due for a hit. The bases were loaded and I said, ‘This is my team and I really need to help them out.’ It wasn’t pretty, but it got the job done.”
Stanfield said seeing Frenn for the second day in a row made a big difference. Even though the Lady Trojans practiced hitting outside pitches all week, she said the team was thinking too much Friday night. She said everyone felt a lot confidence and settled down.
McCrary, who struck out in her first at-bat followed with a two-run single that was all the offense Holifield needed. The hit was the fifth of seven the Lady Trojans had on the day.
“She kind of adjusts to you as the batter in the box,” McCrary said. “I really got on top of the plate, so she just gave me that middle pitch that I love. I just got a hold of it and got two RBIs. It felt really good that I could contribute to the team.”
Holifield did the rest, walking only one and striking out 13. Leadoff hitter Maddie Lukens was one of only four players who hit the ball hard. But Holifield remained in control by using her offspeed pitches to keep hitters out in front. First baseman Erin Stanfield had the best defensive play of the afternoon when she gloved a hard grounder by Frenn in the fourth. Other than the walk, the only other blemish was a one-out double by Frenn in the seventh. A fielder’s choice and an infield error allowed thoughts of a rally to flicker in the minds of Saltillo’s players, but Holifield struck out the final two batters.
“We really didn’t think about the changeups as much as the riseball,” Holifield said. “I didn’t anticipate my changeup was going to be working as well as it did. Once we found out it was, we just used it to our advantage.”
Last week, Holifield threw a no-hitter in an 8-0 victory against Pearl that helped New Hope clinch that series. On Saturday, she went without the yellow bandana around her forehead that served her so well in that victory. It didn’t matter, though, as she mixed in a riseball and was just as effective.
Sanders and Frenn went pitch for pitch in a game that went to eight innings and the international tiebreaker, where a runner is placed on second base to start the inning. Holifield’s RBI single in the eighth scored pinch runner Taylor Blevins to give Sanders the run she needed. There was some drama in the bottom half of the inning, but Sanders pitched out of trouble to send the Lady Trojans home happy.
“D.J. did a phenomenal job,” Beard said. “I knew Lauren would be effective because of that changeup. … She left that lasting one hanging in her hand a little bit and she gave up a hit, but she was solid all day.”
Beard praised third baseman Kaitlin Bradley for making several fine plays in the field in support of Sanders, who struck out 10 and allowed only one hit. Sanders also had two of the team’s three hits. She lamented the fact her team made a few mental errors in the top of the seventh inning Saturday to give Saltillo its only run. But she said Sanders and Holifield have helped set the tone with outstanding efforts in the circle.
“D.J. located the ball really well,” Beard said. “Sometimes with D.J. her pitches will be a little ineffective because she will slow them down too much, and she didn’t. She kept the velocity on the ball.”
Saltillo coach Lee Buse credited Sanders and Holifield and the Lady Trojans for executing in critical situations. He said the Lady Trojans’ experience might have been the difference considering the North State semifinals is the farthest Saltillo’s softball program has advanced.
“We just ran out of gas today,” Buse said. “I think the better team probably won today. They are very athletic. I wish them a lot of luck. They are good for a reason. But I want to give our kids a lot of credit. We could have laid down. We had a bad inning and (starting pitcher Hallie Frenn) kept us in it and gave us a shot at winning, but the ball rolled a little different for us today.”
Buse said the combination of Sanders, a sophomore right-hander, and Holifield, a junior right-hander, is a difficult tandem to face in back-to-back games. He said Sanders throws a little harder than Holifield, but that Holifield changes speeds and uses more deception.
“Holifield uses the offspeed stuff to keep you off balance and to get strikeouts,” Buse said. “Sanders is a kid who is going to rare back and throw the ball and tell you to hit it and grit her teeth. Both of them are exceptional pitchers, and we wish them a lot of luck in the playoffs.”
As a result, New Hope is one step away from a trip to Jackson and getting an opportunity to play for an elusive first fast-pitch state crown. The program has won five slow-pitch state titles in a row, and 14 overall.
“I feel accomplished,” said McCrary, who plays center field and is the team’s only senior. “We have come so far. I know I am only one person and I can’t do as much, but I feel I have contributed to the team and I have been here for so long that I think I have made my mark.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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