Last week provided somewhat of a roller-coaster for the Magnolia Heights softball program.
Playing six games in six days, the Lady Chiefs went 2-3-1 over the past week, scoring victories against Jackson Academy in the conference opener and a victory against Tri-County Academy in Saturday’s TCA Tournament.
MHS kicked off the week on a sour note, dropping a 15-3 loss to Hartfield Academy last Monday. The Lady Chiefs surrendered three runs in the top half of the first inning and another in the second, falling behind 4-1. The Lady Hawks then added two runs in the third inning and a nine-run outburst in the top of the fourth put the game away in run-rule fashion.
Hartfield Academy smashed out 12 hits and held the Lady Chiefs to three. Ten of the Lady Hawks’ 12 hits came from five players in the lineup.
Anna Lauren Howell’s two-run home run in the third inning was the biggest highlight for Magnolia Heights, followed by a double from Emerson Yount. In the circle, Howell was handed the loss after starting the first 3.1 frames, finishing with a strikeout. Chloie McGee polished off the final two outs for the Lady Chiefs, garnering a strikeout.
With less than a 24-hour turnaround before the conference-opener at Jackson Academy, MHS wasted little time getting back in the win column, notching a 20-4 beatdown of the Lady Raiders in three innings.
Four runs in the top of the first inning helped the Lady Chiefs gain a quick advantage, and back-to-back eight-run frames in the second and third innings buried Jackson Academy, despite a four-run effort in the bottom of the second.
Magnolia Heights finished with nine hits as the Lady Raiders accounted for five errors. Abby Lane shredded the Jackson Academy pitching staff, finishing 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles and five RBIs. Addie Martin also went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Additionally, Martin also pitched the final two frames in relief for the Lady Chiefs, striking out three batters against four walks and four runs allowed. Bri Coleman pitched a scoreless first inning for MHS, collecting a strikeout.
However, Magnolia Heights was unable to turn the momentum into a winning streak, falling 9-1 in last Thursday’s contest at DeSoto School. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the third inning, when the Lady Thunderbirds racked up six runs. That was followed by a two-run frame in the bottom of the fourth and an additional run in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Though the Lady Chiefs spoiled the shutout with a run in the top half of the fifth inning, it wasn’t enough to stop the game from ending in a five-inning run-rule loss.
Despite the score, both teams finished near-even in hits, with DeSoto coming away with seven and MHS earning six, scattered throughout the Lady Chiefs’ lineup. Coleman’s double was the lone extra base hit for Magnolia Heights, but she finished with eight strikeouts in the circle against two walks across 2.2 innings.
Howell and Martin also combined for 1.2 frames of relief, with Howell collecting a strikeout.
In Saturday’s tournament action, the Lady Chiefs played three games, earning a 2-0 victory against Tri-County Academy, a 5-5 tie against Madison-Ridgeland Academy and a 6-3 loss to Briarfield Academy.
MHS needed just two first inning runs in the win against TCA, as the two teams went scoreless over the next five and a half frames. Coleman pitched all five innings for the Lady Chiefs, tossing five strikeouts, while allowing just one hit.
Coleman also led her team at the plate, going 2-for-3, as Magnolia Heights finished with five hits in the game.
Despite falling behind 4-0 to Madison-Ridgeland Academy in the top of the third inning, the Lady Chiefs rallied and scored five runs in the home half of the same inning, taking a 5-4 lead. However, the Lady Patriots tacked on the tying run in the top of the fourth, before the game was called due to time constraints.
Both teams combined for 14 hits, including eight from MHS. Mackenzie Walton finished 2-for-2 at the plate, while Howell, Yount and Kasseigh Black accounted for a double each, including a two-run double from Black.
Howell, Martin and McGee combined to piece together 3.1 innings in the circle, with Martin pitching two complete innings, gathering a strikeout against a walk and three earned runs allowed. Howell pitched a complete third inning, walking three batters and allowing two runs to score, while McGee finished with a walk and a strikeout.
In the final tournament game of the weekend, the Lady Chiefs and Briarfield Academy were scoreless heading into the third inning. That’s when the Lady Rebels scored a run in the top of the third, breaking up the shutout.
Although MHS responded in a big way with a three-run output in the bottom of the third inning, Briarfield Academy answered back with five runs in the top of the fourth, solidifying the 6-3 loss for the Lady Chiefs.
McGee pitched three complete innings, striking out a pair of batters against four walks, before Coleman tossed the final frame, earning two strikeouts. At the plate, MHS scattered four hits through the lineup.
Magnolia Heights’ record now stands at 10-6-1 entering this week’s action. The Lady Chiefs are slated to travel to Tunica Academy on Monday, Aug. 11 at 5 p.m., before hosting Marshall Academy on Thursday, Aug. 14 at 6:30 P.M., preceded by a junior varsity game at 5 p.m.
