RIDGELAND — D.J. Sanders wasn’t sure what had hit her.
As she walked off the field following a 14-4 loss to Wayne County on Friday night, Sanders looked like someone who had experienced a feeling she didn’t want to feel again.
Less than 24 hours later, Sanders had her head up and looked like someone who wanted another chance at the newly crowned three-time state champions.
“Last night, we weren’t really playing like ourselves,” Sanders said. “That is what made it so difficult. We have never gotten beat 14-4. You could tell on the field we weren’t the same team we were all through the season and in the Lake Cormorant game when we were trying to win that game. You could just tell by looking at us.
“Today, we did a little bit better because we actually played like ourselves, but a loss is a loss, so it still kind of hurts either way.”
The loss Sanders spoke of was a 4-3 decision that helped Wayne County (22–9-1) clinch its third consecutive state championship. New Hope (27-6-1) was back in the state title series for the first time since 2003. It was looking to win its first fast-pitch crown.
While players like Sanders and Holifield are part of a new group of softball players who grew up playing the fast-pitch game rather than the slow-pitch brand, New Hope coach Tabitha Bread acknowledged Friday that nerves played a part in her team’s performance.
“That wasn’t my team that showed up to play,” Beard said. “I think nerves had a lot to do with it. We were a little shell-shocked at how they came out. We didn’t play our softball.”
Beard said she had never seen that group of players so wound up and some players as nervous as they were. She said she never would have seen that kind of mind-set or performance coming from the team. She anticipated some nerves, but they didn’t and said it “kind of was like quicksand.”
Even though New Hope cut the deficit to 6-3 in the third inning and had a chance to cut into the margin even more, Beard didn’t see the right looks on the faces of her players.
“They were more nervous than I have ever seen them,” Beard said. “It was one of those things where I kind of feel like I am in a bad dream and I just want to wake up and it didn’t happen.”
Wayne County had just nine hits in the first game, but it received home runs by Jade Albritton and a grand slam from winning pitcher Paxton Luke. The Lady War Eagles also made the most of 10 walks and three errors, things they didn’t get in a 2-2 tie against New Hope in March at the Clarkdale High tournament. Still, Wayne County made the most of the speed of Ravean Matthews and Shalaria Pickens at the top of the lineup to keep pressure on New Hope.
“They only have two fast people, which are their first two batters, we just couldn’t pull through to throw them out every time,” New Hope senior center fielder Anna McCrary said. “The first time we played them in that tournament, we had a great defensive game and we threw them out and kept them off the bases. We didn’t have that luck this game.”
Beard said Wayne County capitalized on its ability to get Matthews and Pickens on base, unlike in the regular season. She said the Lady Trojans helped the Lady War Eagles out in each game, although they did a better job Saturday. Holifield, who went the first four innings, and Sanders combined to walk five and allow 11 hits.
“At least when they got on base they had to earn it,” Beard said. “We didn’t walk them.”
Sanders had two of New Hope’s five hits Friday night against Luke, who started and won both games. Holifield and Sanders each had two hits Saturday as New Hope had nine hits. It received a lift off the bench from eighth-grader Mackenzie Harvey, who had an RBI single, and freshman Brooke Braddock, who grounded out in a pinch-hitting appearance.
Holifield, who will be a senior next season, and Sanders, who will be a junior, will be looked to as the leaders again in 2012-13. The younger players also will be asked to step into bigger roles and to implement the lessons used from the first trip to the state title series since 2003.
McCrary thinks the Lady Trojans will be able to do that.
“I will definitely be here next year,” McCray said. “They have great players who can step up and fill that position I am leaving. They have a great chance next year. All they’re going to do is keep getting better.”
Wayne County coach Eric Neel was impressed with what he saw from New Hope, and knows the Lady Trojans will have the potential to get back to Ridgeland in 2013.
“New Hope got in there and fought,” Neel said. “There were some tough outs today, and they were one swing away from really winning that game several times. (Luke) was a whole lot sharper today. If she had been that sharp (Friday night), it would have been a worse outcome. But New Hope battled. I don’t know what else to say. They were impressive.”
Beard hopes New Hope can take what it learned from facing one of the state’s top pitchers and build on it. She lamented the fact the Lady Trojans struck out looking three times Saturday, but was happy to see her team respond so well after dropping the first game.
“I expect great things out of this bunch, especially with Lauren and Kasey and that senior class coming up” Beard said. “We’re going to have to find someone to fill Anna’s shoes. They are big shoes to fill, but we’re going to have somebody step up, I hope. I hope when we come back again maybe it won’t be as nerve-wracking and we won’t have those first-game jitters.”
Sanders hopes she and her teammates will remember the feeling from Friday night and learn how to take the next step so they are the ones celebrating next season, not the ones who look like they don’t know what hit them.
“We really tried to keep them off the bases and to take them out of the game,” Sanders said. “We didn’t have the right mind-set for it because we were thinking we have to hurry up, hurry up, hurry up, when really all we need to do is to play normal instead of getting all wound up.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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