Wildcats keep rollin’ as baseball and softball teams advance in playoffs after big series wins

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GCHS junior Addie Tungett is shown delivering a pitch in the Lady Cats’s 13-3, series-clinching win over Newton County on Monday as senior first baseman Riley Kate Byrd gets ready for the pitch.
Photo by RUSSELL TURNER | Herald Editor

Wildcats set to take on Poplarville in Round 3, while Lady Cats match up with Choctaw Central

By RUSSELL TURNER – Herald Editor
It’s on to Round 3 for Greene County High School as both the Wildcats and Lady Cats earned big wins on Monday to advance in the MHSAA 4A State baseball and softball tournaments.
The Lady Wildcats bounced back from a tough loss at Newton County on Saturday with a 13-3 run-rule win over the Cougars. GCHS claimed the series 2-1 with the win and will face Choctaw Central in another best-of-three series starting Thursday.
The Wildcats punched their ticket by defeating Morton 15-0 last Thursday and 11-0 on the road Monday to sweep the series. They now move on to face a familiar rival in Poplarville this week.
“I am very proud of this team,” GCHS Head Softball Coach David Entrekin told the Herald after the game. “To bounce back from a loss at their place and come in here and play the way we did and swing the bat as well as we did shows me they were locked in and ready to play.”
The Lady Cats kicked off the series with a hard-fought 7-5 win at home on Friday. GCHS opened up a nice lead and carried a 6-run advantage into the sixth inning. But, Newton County got two clutch hits to capitalize on a rare series of mistakes (two walks, an error and a hit batsman) to put together a 5-run frame to pull to within a single run.

Senior first baseman Riley Kate Byrd is shown getting ready during a pitch last week during playoff action against Newton County.
Photo by RUSSELL TURNER | Herald Editor

Greene County responded with an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Sophomore Amiyah Garrett, who has had a hot bat in the postseason, gave the Lady Cats a baserunner with a 2-out single. She promptly stole second and then scored when senior Riley Kate Byrd turned a strikeout into an RBI by hustling down to first on a dropped third strike. The ball got away from the first baseman and Garrett never slowed down rounding third on her way to her second run of the game.
The Wildcats started the top of the seventh with another error, but junior ace Addie Tungett was able to retire the side from that point with a strikeout and two popups to shut the door on the Lady Cougars’ comeback effort. Tungett went the distance in the pitcher’s circle for GCHS. She allowed six hits and four earned runs, striking out seven and walking five along the way.
Garrett, who finished 3-of-4 at the plate with two RBIs, kicked off the scoring for GCHS in the bottom of the first when her speed forced a throwing error that allowed senior Shanna Johnson, who had singled, to score. Four straight hits in the bottom of the third, including a double by Johnson, pushed the Lady Cats’ lead to 4-0. A triple by Garrett in the bottom of the fifth drove in senior Kambrie Lawrence. Byrd followed with a double to score Garrett.
Johnson finished 2-of-four with two runs scored. Junior Reagan Walters also had two hits, while Byrd (2 RBIs) and Lawrence (1 RBI) each finished 1-of-3 for the game.
The bats cooled off for GCHS on Saturday, as the Lady Cougars outhit the visitors 10-to-7, belting five home runs en route to a 12-2 win the tie the series at one win apiece. Sophomore Taelyn Johnson was 2-for-2 in the loss and drove in both runs for her team. Garrett finished with two hits, including a double.
The Lady Cougars made the return trip to Leakesville on Monday with all the momentum apparently on their side. However, the girls from GCHS weren’t having any of that.

Senior Shanna Johnson is shown beating out a throw to first base for an infield hit against Newton County in Round 2 action last week.
Photo by RUSSELL TURNER | Herald Editor

After retiring the first three Cougars in order to start the game, GCHS turned two walks and singles by Johnson, Byrd and senior Lillian Rau into an early 4-0 lead.
Tungett struck out the side in the top of the second and then led off the bottom half of the inning with a double over the left fielder’s head. She scored on a single by Shanna Johnson, who scored two batters later on a passed ball to push the lead to 6-0 after two.
They added six more in the bottom of the third to take a commanding 12-0 lead. Junior LeeAllyn Cook scored on a walk by Tungett and Walters and Taelyn Johnson scored on a double by the elder Johnson. Garrett then singled to drive in freshman Keri Kitchens, and she and Shanna Johnson scored on a pop fly by Jacie Ethridge that found grass in short right field.
Newton County kept the game alive with a run in the top of the fourth and added two more on a walk and two hits in the top of the fifth. But, three walks and a single pushed Byrd across home plate in the bottom of the fifth giving GCHS the run-rule win.
Shanna Johnson led the way for GCHS with three hits, three RBIs and three runs scored. Tungett finished 2-of-3 with an RBI, while Garrett was 1-of-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Byrd, Ethridge, Rau and Walters drove in one run apiece.

Sophomore Amiyah Garrett is shown being congratulated by Coach David Entrekin as she screams at her teammates in celebration of a RBI triple in the fifth inning of the Lady Wildcats’ 7-5 win over Newton County on Friday in Game 1 of the teams’ best-of-three playoff series.
Photo by RUSSELL TURNER | Herald Editor

Tungett earned the win in the circle, striking out eight and scattering four hits through five innings of work.
While GCHS was taking care of business, Choctaw Central was doing the same, whipping Poplarville on Monday 20-0 to win Game 3 of that series. They defeated the Lady Hornets 2-1 in Poplarville 2-1 last Thursday, but lost a 1-0 decision in eight innings at home on Friday.
Choctaw Central is the No. 2 seed out of Region 5 and enters this week’s series at 23-8 on the season.
Due to how the predetermined brackets are laid out, the Lady Cats will have the home field advantage with games one and three (if needed) set for the Lady Cat’s complex. Game one is set for Thursday at 6 p.m., with the second game set for Friday at 6 p.m. at Choctaw Central. If a third and deciding game is needed, it will be played in Leakesville on Monday, also at 6 p.m.

Greene County junior pitcher Kash Kittrell had another good outing last week for the Wildcats as he gave up just two hits in the Cats’ 15-0 win over Morton last Thursday. Kittrell is shown delivering a pitch in that game.
Photo by RUSSELL TURNER / Herald Staff

Cats cruised past Morton to set up matchup with Poplarville

Every player in the GCHS lineup had at least one hit on Monday as the Wildcats defeated Morton 11-0 on the road to sweep their best-of-three series.
It was the fourth straight, run-rule victory for GCHS this postseason and third shutout win.
“I am very proud of these guys for maintaining their focus through some schedule changes,” Head Coach Scott Bray said Tuesday. “But, those games are behind us now, and if we want to keep this thing going, we are going to have clean up some things and get better over the next few days.”
“The four teams left playing in the south are all good teams. We respect them all, but feel like with can compete with all of them. We just have to get the bats hot and play well, because that is what it takes at this point in the season.”
To cap the series win on Monday, GCHS scored three runs in each of the first three innings and two more in the top of the fourth. Meanwhile, junior pitcher Eli Herring notched a 5-inning no-hitter to earn the win. Herring did walk four, but struck out seven. He also picked off a runner at second and benefitted from junior catcher Noah McLeod throwing out a baserunner attempting to steal second.

Freshman Cam Pipkins led the way offensively for GCHS on Monday. He finished 3-of-4 at the plate with a double, two runs scored and a RBI. McLeod homered and drove in two runs, while juniors Jackson Odom, Carsen Sanford and Kash Kittrell each had a hit and drove in a run. Senior Brody Jones had a hit and scored twice to round out the leader board for the Cats.
Game one’s offensive hero was Sanford, who finished 2-of-3 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored. Jones was 2-of-2 with a triple, two runs and two RBIs, while junior Porter Miller scored twice and drove in a run.
Pipkins and Herring each finished 1-of-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Junior Kash Kittrell earned the win on the mound. Kittrell allowed just two hits and struck out nine in the 4-inning shutout.

Greene County junior Zaine Moody is shown sliding safely into third base against Morton last week. Moody has been a key tablesetter for GCHS all season.
Photo by RUSSELL TURNER / Herald Staff

Now the Wildcats turn their attention to a very familiar opponent, their former region foes from Poplarville. The Hornets enter the matchup with a 24-9 overall record and the top seed out of Region 7. They punched their ticket to Round 3 with a 4-2 win over Newton County to win that series 2-1. They started the postseason by sweeping Bay High with two run-rule victories.
Game 1 of the matchup is set for Thursday at 6 p.m. in Poplarville. GCHS will host Game 2 on Friday, with the first pitch set for 7 p.m. Game 3, if needed, is scheduled for Saturday in Poplarville, also at 6 p.m.
Weather could play a factor in the schedules for both GCHS teams as rains are expected through the weekend.

GCHS skipper Scott Bray is shown talking to players during a break in the action of Game 1 last week against Morton. Bray said he is proud of the way his players have performed thus far, but knows they have to play even better as they prepare to play Poplarville in Round 3 this weekend.
Photo by RUSSELL TURNER / Herald Staff