JACKSON — Jessica Moore tried to treat it as just another at-bat.
She pawed at the dirt to the right of home plate and went over and over her coach”s words of advice, “move back in the batter”s box.”
Up until that point, Moore was hitless and was doing everything she could not to pop the ball up. Another dip of the shoulder would prove even more costly and would give Picayune new life in a winner-take-all game three of their Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A state title series.
Yet Moore still believed.
The words of encouragement rang in her ears as she grounded sharply down the first-base line. Oh no, she thought, we”re going to have to play a third game.
But disappointment turned to elation in a bounce as the ball scooted past the first baseman and down the right-field line. With the tying run in, the ball got past the right fielder, which allowed pinch runner Abby Wilson to score to cap a four-run uprising that gave the New Hope High School slow-pitch softball team a 6-5 victory and a sweep of its best-of-three championship series.
D.J. Sanders” three-run, inside-the park home run was the key blow in a 6-4 victory in game one that helped New Hope (26-4) win its fourth state title in a row (second in Class 5A), and 13th overall.
The latest crown came with plenty of drama as the Lady Trojans capitalized on two errors in the final frame and used a two-run single by Brandi Brantley that bounced over the head of the second baseman. Following a fly out by Jordan Johnson, New Hope”s 10th out in the air of the game, Moore followed the advice of her coaches and delivered.
“I can”t believe the whole thing happened,” Moore said. “Brandi stepped up and scored two people and I was like, ”This is going to be the biggest hit of my life,” and it just happened.”
Moore was 0-for-4 with a walk before her final at-bat of the season. She said the pressure of the situation motivated her more than it made her nervous and drove her to do it for her girls.
“We have five seniors who have been through it all,” Moore said. “We didn”t work this whole season for nothing, and we had another game, but we wanted to come here and make a statement we”re still the best in 5A. It is just so amazing.”
Every New Hope starter had a hit in two victories against Pearl in the North Half title series Tuesday. But New Hope and Picayune struggled to put the ball on the ground and to hit line drives on the spacious V.A. Field. Hitters from both teams appeared to fall victim to the temptation to try to hit a home run over the 300-foot fences in the outfield. As a result, New Hope made 12 outs in the air in game one and stranded nine runners on base. Haley Tutor, Sanders, and Anna Holley were the only New Hope players with two hits. Sanders” second hit burned the left fielder in the top of the fifth inning and rolled all of the way to the fence to erase a 4-3 deficit.
The Lady Trojans continued to fight themselves at the plate and in the field in game two. New Hope committed two errors and ran into two double plays off line drives.
The combination had New Hope coach Tabitha Beard muttering to herself down the third-base line.
“(Picayune pitcher Sarah Dodd) was high and deep, and (the umpire) was allowing her throw that pitch,” Beard said. “I told the girls we have to back up and adjust and we didn”t make that adjustment well. I tell them to hit the ball between your breast, basically, and they weren”t adjusting and they didn”t back up. It took them a while, and it was very frustrating. I knew they could, and, like we talked about, we had to do it one at a time.”
Brantley and Moore helped quiet their coach in the seventh inning of game two. Brantley went hitless in game one and committed all four outs in the air. She flied out in her first at-bat in game two before lining out to the shortstop in her second plate appearance. She vowed her third trip would be different.
New Hope assistant coach Connie Harris asked Brantley, the team”s pitcher, how she would pitch a batter after getting the first strike on her. Brantley said she likely would try to get the better “to hit junk” in attempt to get the batter to chase her pitch. Harris told Brantley she was swinging at “junk,” and encouraged her to wait for a pitch she could hit off her front shoulder.
Brantley listened and did her best to help make sure New Hope didn”t have to play a third game.
“It wasn”t a hit, but I hit it as hard as I could and I got two RBIs,” Brantley said. “I know it kind of bounced over her head, so I would consider it an error, but it scored two runs, so I was happy with it.”
Moore, who wore a new disco-glitterball hairband with Holley in game two, was equally pleased with the timing of her hit. She said the victory was even more special because it helped send her and her senior classmates Tutor, Holley and Brandi and Brittney Brantley out with another championship.
Beard, who played for former New Hope High slow-pitch coach Cary Shepherd, said the feeling of winning titles never gets old, even if it means she has to get doused with a cooler filled with ice after the game. She praised the seniors for persevering, and said it was fitting Moore, who has remarked several times this year she doesn”t have any power, got the final hit to help the team add another trophy to its stash.
“She always says, ”Little bitty Kaitlin Bradley can hit it farther than this,” ” Beard said. “She says, ”Kaitlin Bradley weighs 20 pounds and I weigh 150 and I can”t get past (the defense).” I just told her, ”Who has the power now?” It is awesome to see that group go out like that. It is amazing.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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