The Winona slow-pitch softball season came to an end with 11-0 and 15-2 losses to Nettleton in the opening round of the MHSAA Class II playoffs for 3A and 4A schools.
“Their one through six batters hands down are the best hitters I have seen in the four years that I have been coaching slow-pitch softball,” Winona coach Steven Helms said of Nettleton. “Our defense played really well but you can’t defend a home run and they hit five in the first game.”
Winona totaled 12 hits in the two games, seven in the opener and five in the nightcap. Tommesha Brown, MyCala Helms and Allyn-Claire Gant had two hits each in the first game.
Gant had a single and double in the second game and scored both Winona runs.
Winona qualified for the tournament by finishing fourth in Region 2, but had to play the best-of-three series on the road because Nettleton was the champion of Region 3. Nettleton was set to play Mantachie in the second round Tuesday.
Prior to the playoff games, Winona lost to Mooreville 8-2 and defeated North Pontotoc 6-2.
The Lady Tigers outhit Mooreville in the loss 9-7, but was outhit by North Pontotoc in the win 8-5.
“We had a lot of opportunities to take the lead, but we couldn’t get a timely hit,” Helms said of the Mooreville game. “We got the timely hits Tuesday (against North Pontotoc).”
Gant had two hits in each game, giving her eight for the week. Against North Pontotoc, she drove in two runs, Helms walked four times and scored twice and Emory Lowery had two RBIs.
The inability to get clutch hits was an ongoing problem for the Lady Tigers during the season, according to Helms, costing the Lady Tigers several games.
Helms will also coach fast-pitch in the spring and he expects most of the slow-pitch players to be on the team.
