By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

Hancock senior standout Tegan DeWitt turned in a masterpiece on the mound last week.

DeWitt, the reigning prep softball “Player of the Year” in the “Southern Six”, twirled a perfect game in a 4-0 shutout win over Pascagoula in Region 4-6A play.

DeWitt struck out 14 of the 21 Lady Panther batters she faced in the winning effort. Her Lady Hawk teammates provided solid defense all night behind her, and DeWitt never came close to walking an opposing hitter as she never reached a three ball count in the contest.

Aubree Martin produced two doubles for Hancock to lead the way offensively in support of DeWitt, and she also drove in a run. Martin, Kenleigh McIver, Caitlyn Ladner and Jaycee Cameron each had an RBI apiece in a four run fourth frame rally that resulted in all the scoring in the game.

On the season, Hancock sits 13-3 overall and 2-2 in the region race as week three of league play begins this week. DeWitt sits at 8-1 with a minuscule 1.45 earned run average and 131 strikeouts in just 77 innings of work.

Last season as a junior, Dewitt helped guide her Lady Hawks into the Class 6A state championship round before falling to South Panola in two games. DeWitt was a two-way star for head coach Joe Rankin, striking out a “Southern Six” high of 184 batters from the circle with a 0.78 earned run average while recording an equally impressive .541 batting average at the plate with 38 runs batted in.

Dewitt became the only player in Class 6A last season with a sub 1.00 ERA from the circle and at least 50 hits on offense.
DeWitt reached a milestone earlier last season earning her 500th career strikeout in the 12-0 win over Long Beach in Region 4-6A play. She was 13-1 heading into the state finals.
In the Class 6A South State playoffs last season, Dewitt recorded six wins in the circle and in that same span she has 10 hits with half of those for extra bases and six RBIs.

Hancock faces West Harrison in a two game Region 4-6A home and home series this week. The Lady ‘Canes had a shortened perfect game thrown at them last week as well by George County’s Peyton Collins who tossed a four inning shutout with 10 strikeouts in the Lady Rebels’ 12-0 win over West Harrison in Region 4-6A action on Thursday. She has helped lead GCHS to an impressive 18-1 overall mark this season.