Emma Rankin's two-out single lifts Taylorsville past Vardaman, Tartars tie MHSAA 1A Softball Championship series
HATTIESBURG — Taylorsville was staring elimination straight in the face as Vardaman pitcher Makynlie Jones continued to stymie the Tartar bats headed into the sixth inning of Game 2 in the MHSAA 1A Softball Championship series.
Then everything changed in the sixth inning.
The Tartars (24-7) erased a three-run deficit with six runs and held on for a 7-4 win, evening the 1A title series after Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Rams.
Game Three in the Series is set for 11 a.m. Friday.
“We had struggled on our offensive approach the last few days,” Taylorsville coach Adam Evans said. “Little anxious, rolling over a lot of pitches. We finally started staying through the ball and driving it up the middle. That was huge.”
The Tartars were six outs away from elimination when the rally started.
Emma Kennedy kicked things off with a ground-ball single up the middle, and Kelsi Matthews followed suit to put two on with nobody out.
After Madelyn Chennault grounded into a fielder’s choice, Katelyn Horn laced an RBI single to center, and Tinli Phillips looped one into center field to bring home another run.
Kylee Beth Moore knocked in another run with an RBI fielder’s choice groundout to tie the game at 4-4.
Vardaman pitcher Makynlie Jones had escaped giving up the big inning time and again over the first 12 innings of the series, but Taylorsville had finally broken through.
“That’s just the nature of the game,” Vardaman coach Josh Hegwood said. “Eventually they are going to dink one in somewhere or string together a couple of hits. They are a good team and there’s a reason they are here.”
The Tartars weren’t done — Jones threw an inside pitch that got a piece of Taylorsville hitter Kylee Beth Moore, which brought Taylorsville’s secret weapon Emma Rankin to the plate.
The senior pitcher got a pitch she could handle on the outer half of the plate with two strikes and got enough of it off the end of the bat to push the ball past second base and into the outfield, scoring Moore from second to give Taylorsville the lead for good.
“I really wasn’t looking for any pitch,” Rankin said. “I was just trying to hit the ball. Got one on the outside half and pushed it the other way.”
Latia Keys followed with another single, which was compounded by an error in right for Vardaman, that scored two more runs and sealed the win.
Rankin went 3-for-3 at the plate with a walk to lead the Tartars. Matthews was 3-for-4. Seven different Taylorsville hitters scored a run.
Rankin got the win on the mound, working seven innings and giving up four runs (all earned) on eight hits and six walks. Her nine strikeouts helped her work out of jam after jam, as the Rams stranded 11 runners.
“That’s the story of the game,” Hegwood said. “We just didn’t get the timely hits and you have to give their pitcher credit. She’s a good player. We just have to be consistent and do what we’ve done all year. We’re a good hitting team. It’s like I told them, there’s no magic potion or spell. You just have to have good at bats.”
Jones went 3-for-4 with an RBI for Vardaman. Addison Lucious went 2-for-3 and knocked in a run.
(All photos by Austin Frayser)
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