By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

HATTIESBURG —Hancock and South Panola hooked up in an old-fashioned pitchers duel in game one of their Class 6A state championship series Tuesday afternoon.

Unfortunately for the Lady Hawks, the Lady Tigers were able to muster just a bit more on offense to pull out the win.

South Panola overcame a late 1-0 deficit with a single run in both of the sixth and seventh stanzas to pull out a 2-1 win in the opening game of the best of three title series here at the University of Southern Mississippi Softball Complex.

The decision puts the Lady Tigers on the verge of their third state championship, with game two set for 2:15 p.m., Thursday afternoon.

South Panola pitcher Sadie Bright, the Class 6A Miss Softball this season, was just a touch better than Hancock ace Teegan Dewitt in this one. And her teammates were a bit more supportive as well.

Entering the top of the seventh deadlocked at 1-1, Kaleigh Cobb singled for SPHS and then Addison Sanders reached on an HHS error. Two batters later, Hailey Heafner’s run-scoring sacrifice fly plated what would turn out to be the game-winning run.

Bright then returned to the circle and worked a perfect frame to secure the complete game pitching win.

The game was scoreless entering the bottom of the fifth, as both pitchers dominated the other ones’ batting order.

In fact, Bright had a no-hitter going until that aforementioned bottom of the fifth frame when things changed a bit.

Ashlynn Gaston walked to lead off the inning for Hancok, and was sacrificed to second base by Aubree Martin. That’s when Abigail Carver delivered the first hit for the Lady Hawks when the Lady Tiger right fielder couldn’t come up with her line dive single and Gaston came around to score the first run of the game.

And unfortunately, the only one for the Lady Hawks as it turned out.

Like a pair of classic prize fighters standing toe-to-toe in the middle of the ring in a battle for a heavyweight championship belt, one blow was returned by another as South Panola responded immediately.

Madisyn Fondren’s double just got over the head of the Hancock right fielder to plate Kaley McKinley. McKinkley led off the inning with a single.

The Lady Hawks threatened again in the bottom of the sixth, as the first two batters reached base on an error off he bat of Brooklyn Cuevas and then a double by Taylor Dunbar.

Both base runners quickly moved into scoring position on the relay throw, but Bright responded with a strike out, a soft line out and another strike out to end the threat and set up the climactic seven stanza.

Bright limited Hancock to just the three hits in her impressive pitching performance. She struck out 11 and walked four.

Dewitt matched her almost pitch-for pitch in suffering the hard-luck loss, as she also went the distance and struck out 10 while walking none in a solid outing. 

South Panola is trying to win its first state title since taking back-to-back Class 5A crowns in 2007 and 2008.