Poplarville, MS – It was do or die all day on Monday for #20 Northeast who opened their day against #13 Itawamba where despite falling to a six-run deficit, the Tigers rallied to overtake the Indians in extra innings for an 11-8 win to advance and play #6 Jones. Northeast continued their momentum into the next round with early hits leading to timely runs to push the Tigers in front with a grand slam from Sophie Gant helping to clinch an 8-2 win and advance to Tuesday for a rematch with #5 Pearl River.
Chloe Skelton opened the contest with a home run bomb in her fourth straight game that put Northeast ahead 1-0 early before a five-run inning from the Indians put the Tigers in a 5-1 hole heading into the second. Another two scores for ICC in the second inning made it a 7-1 deficit for Northeast who was able to rally in the third with AB McKay driving in a run off a single through the right side while Tatum Berry helped to add two more off a triple down the line that trimmed the gap down to 7-4. Bailey Houston and Gant each hammered out RBI doubles in the fourth to make it a one score difference while a solo bomb from Itawamba stretched it back out to two at 8-6 with the score standing still the next two innings.
Adin Shelton erased the deficit with one hit in the top of the seventh with a bomb past left center to score two-runs and force extra innings with both sides locked up at 8-8 entering the eighth inning. Skelton stepped up and doubled down the right field line with Gant walking to get on base and Shelton taking a hit by pitch to load the bases in the top of the eighth. Berry stepped back up to the plate and drove all three runners home off a single to right field that pushed Northeast ahead 11-8 to grab a win over #13 Itawamba and advance in the Region 23 Tournament.
Key Stats vs. #13 Itawamba:
- Gant recorded her 16th win in the circle of the season with 7.2 innings pitched and two strikeouts while allowing only three runs.
- Berry went 2-for-3 at the plate with a triple and five RBI while Shelton went 3-for-3 with three runs, a double, a home run, and two RBI.
Following their win over ICC, Northeast stepped right back on the field and faced #6 Jones with the winner getting a rematch with #5 Pearl River on Tuesday. Northeast's hot bats from their previous game carried over to open the game with Leah Walker connecting on a double to left center before scoring on a sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead while a double down the left field line by Kendall Bragg drove in two more in the second for a 3-0 lead. Bragg's second at bat scored another run for the Tigers with a single up the middle to drive in McKay for a 4-0 lead over Jones who for the fourth straight inning was retired in order with Berry facing only twelve batters through four innings.
Jones loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth to put Northeast in a scary situation but allowed only two runners to score to maintain a 4-2 lead entering the sixth where the bases once again got loaded but this time by Northeast. Bases cleared with one hit by Sophie Gant who annihilated the pitch with bomb out to right field that left no doubt for a grand slam and propel the Tigers to an 8-2 lead that held the rest of the way for another win in the Region 23 Tournament.
Key Stats vs. #6 Jones:
- Berry recorded her sixth win of the season in the circle, pitching in all seven innings with two strikeouts and only two runs allowed.
- Bragg went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and three RBI while Gant's only hit resulted in four RBI for her stat line.
- Northeast recorded nine total walks on the game with Skelton and McKay each walking three times against Jones.
Northeast improves to 41-15 overall on the season after grabbing both elimination games on Monday to advance to the Region 23 Tournament Poplarville regional championship game against #5 Pearl River with the Tigers needing to beat the Wildcats twice to win it all.