2016 Combined

WEEK.Of 5~15 -./(p .

finished 24-6 and are 53-9 in fast-pitch over the last two seasons with two cham pionship berths and one crown. Not bad for a school that's a relative newcomer to the block in softball prowess. Finally, there's West Lauderdale High School, a team that began the year 5-5-l and managed to finish 19-12-1 with a berth in the Class 4A championship

series. The Lady Knights' path to the championship wasn't easy, either - in postseason play, West Lauderdale swept its open ing-round series, but then went to Game 3 in the next three series to secure a spot in Ridgeland. In the quarterfinal and seminal rounds, the Lady Knights lost both Game ls, meaning they faced elimination in • two straight games for each

round, winning them all. After going .500 over the first 11 games in the wins and-losses column, West Lauderdale head coach Cary Luke indicated to me the more recent success of the team had a lot to do with the players beginning to believe they could be a pretty good squad. Though losing seniors Abbe Bates and Mallory Wooldridge to graduation will hurt,

I'd have to think a taste of success bodes well for the future of the squad going forward. Summer is just about here, but already I'm looking forward to the fall to see how these teams, and others, fare in slow-pitch. Drew Kerekes is the sports editor at The Meridian Star. He can be reached at dker ekes@themeridianstar.com.

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CARTHAGINIAN -------- NEWTON COUNTY APPEAL ---- SPIRIT OF MORTON

NESHOBA DEMOCRAT ------ SCOTT COUNTY TIMES ------ WINSTON COUNTY JOU~AL ---- CLARION-LEDGER --------

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MERIDIAN STAR