HAMILTON — Two more wins.
The Hamilton High School slow-pitch softball program has made a habit of winning championships, so it isn’t surprising the Lady Lions will play for another one this weekend in Ridgeland.
Still, each season is full of twists and turns. The road to a title can be long and unpredictable. Any season that ends with competition for a state title is worthy of celebration.
“We had five seniors back (from a 2012 state championship team),” Hamilton coach Bryan Loague said. “You start each season with this as the goal. However, this team has had its share of adversity. We have had things to overcome, just like other teams. You relish these opportunities because they are special.”
Hamilton will face Stringer in a best-of-three series for the Mississippi High School Activities Association’s Class 1A state championship. The series begins at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Freedom Ridge Park.
Hamilton senior outfielder Cheyenne Logan tried to explain what her team felt after Hamilton beat Monroe County rival Smithville 5-3 and 9-2 Tuesday night at home in the North State championship round.
“Everybody is really excited,” Logan said. “This is big for our team and this is big four our school.”
Logan was then interrupted by a group of four players for a spontaneous hug. Each player jumped up and down and yelled during the hug.
“See there, we are excited,” Logan said. “Everybody is really amped for this because we are playing for a state championship.”
Hamilton captured the Class 2A state championship last season in Ridgeland. Loague only needed to make a couple of minor position changes. The challenge was to keep the team focused and ready to play its best at the end of the regular season.
“We are very solid up the middle of the outfield (senior Raimi Bryan and Logan),” Loague said. “We have been very good defensively, and I think that has been really big. When you think slow-pitch softball, you think runs will be scored.
“That is why making the plays is so vitally important. In the first game (against Smithville), we had four or five errors and we had to scrap to win. The second game we only made one error (with two outs in the seventh inning) and were able to win pretty easily.”
Hamilton also has clicked on offense. Loague estimates the team has hit 30-35 home runs. The Lady Lions hit a lull toward the end of the regular season but regained their sharpness at the plate at the right time.
Junior second baseman Addie Thompson homered twice in the sweep of Smithville.
“It is unbelievable how this feels,” Thompson said. “We have worked so hard. We worked our butts off in the weight room. Even though we won last year, we want to win again. We feel like it’s our championship, and we don’t want to give it back.”
Logan echoed Loague, saying Hamilton suffered some adversity this season. However, the togetherness of the five seniors — Logan, third baseman Jordyn Jackson, pitcher Alison Atkins, shortstop Taylor Hyland, and Bryan — kept pushing the team through its toughest times.
“We have played softball together since we were all 7 years old,” Logan said. “The seniors have stayed behind each other and always put the team first. When you do something that is fun with people you love, it is special. We all want the same dream, and we are going to go for it.”
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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