Bayou goes 1-2 at state, wins first North State Title since 2017
A successful softball season for the Bayou Academy Lady Colts came to a disappointing end as they went 1-2 in the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools 5A State Softball Tournament on Saturday (Oct. 5) at the Magee Sports Complex.
Bayou defeated Oak Forrest Academy 9-8 in the first game but lost to Brookhaven 15-3 in the second game and lost to Simpson 10-8 in an elimination game.
The Lady Colts’ year came to a close with an impressive 23-6 record. Despite being eliminated at state, the Lady Colts accomplished some big things as they won the District 1-5A Championship for the second straight year and captured their first North State Championship since 2017 by winning the MAIS 5A North State Softball Tournament at the Senatobia Sports Park on Oct. 1.
Bayou Head Softball Coach Lauren LaSuzzo was disappointed at the outcome at state but not disappointed at the girls’ performance during the year.
“The state tournament didn’t go like we wanted it to, but it shouldn’t over shadow what this team accomplished this year as they were 5A North State Champions and back-to-back district champions,” said LaSuzzo. “Class 5A softball is no joke when it comes to competition. I’m so proud of this team as a whole, and I’d go to battle with them any day.”
Saturday’s first game against Oak Forrest was a tense thriller for the Lady Colts. Bayou had to overcome some errors as four of the eight runs yielded by Bayou were unearned. Oak Forrest led 3-0 going into the bottom of the fourth. Bayou would score five runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 5-3 lead, but Oak Forrest came back in the top of the sixth to score two runs and tie the game up at 5-5.
Bayou got its biggest hit of the contest in the bottom of the sixth as junior shortstop Alli Kyle Cunningham crushed a grand slam home run with two outs to give the Lady Colts a 9-5 lead. Earlier in the frame, Hailey Robinson walked to lead off the inning, Sela Mancini was intentionally walked with two outs, and Charli Woods was hit by a pitch to set the table for Cunningham.
In the top of the seventh, Oak Forrest tried to bounce back by scoring three runs, but Bayou would hold on for the win.
In the second game of the day, Bayou went up against a surging Brookhaven team. Brookhaven pitcher Ann Elise Duncan was dominant early on as she struck out the first six hitters she faced in the game. Brookhaven’s offense gave Duncan some immediate support by scoring four runs in the top of the first and two runs in the top of the third to take a 6-0 lead. Bayou’s offense finally picked up in the bottom of the third as Mancini roped a double, Woods reached on an error that scored two runs, and Cunningham tagged a RBI-double to cut Brookhaven’s lead to 6-3.
Bayou’s offense went cold after the third as the Lady Colts were held to just one hit over the next two innings. Brookhaven scored nine more runs to end the game in the fifth inning due to the mercy rule. Brookhaven stroked four home runs in the contest, and Duncan finished with 11 strikeouts and no walks in five innings to earn the win. Brookhaven out hit Bayou 14-3.
In the elimination game, Bayou and Simpson slugged it out. Bayou trailed 8-4 going into the bottom of the fifth. Laney Harris led off the inning with a single; Mattison Myers drew a walk, and Ella Greenway was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. The next batter, Robinson, drilled a double to score Harris and courtesy runner Sailor Davis to cut Simpson’s lead to 8-6. With two outs, Mancini spanked a two-run single that scored Greenway and Kiley Harris to tie the game at 8-8.
Simpson was able to secure the lead for good in the top of the sixth by taking advantage of a lead off single and two errors to take a 10-8 lead. The Lady Cougars were able to preserve the lead and get the win.
In the circle for Bayou, Greenway pitched in all three games and went 1-2 by giving up 18 runs, 11 earned, on 21 hits with 10 strikeouts and no walks in 11 2/3 innings of work. Myers also pitched in all three games as she gave up 15 runs, 11 earned, on 16 hits with four strikeouts and three walks in seven innings of action.
At the plate, Bayou was able to stroke 18 hits in three games with six of those hits going for extra bases. Bayou hitters also walked eight times and reached base by hit by pitch three times.
Cunningham and Laney Harris were the team’s top hitters at state. Cunningham went 3-for-9 with a home run, a double, five RBIs and a run scored, and Harris went 4-for-8 with a double, two walks and two runs scored. Robinson went 2-for-8 with a hit by pitch, four RBIs and three runs scored; Kiley Harris went 2-for-8 with a walk, three runs scored and a RBI; Karlee Ware went 2-for-9 with a double and two RBIs; Mancini went 2-for-9 with a double, two walks, three RBIs and two runs scored; Myers went 1-for-8 with two walks, two RBIs and a run scored; Woods went 1-for-7 with a walk, a hit by pitch and a run scored, and Greenway went 1-for-8 with a double, a hit by pitch and two runs scored.
On Oct. 1 in the final day of the 5A North State Softball Tournament at Sentobia, Bayou defeated East Rankin 2-0 and Simpson 5-2 to claim the North State Championship.
Greenway earned the win in both games as she gave up two earned runs on 14 hits with four strikeouts and one walk in 14 innings of work.
On offense for Bayou in the two games, Greenway went 2-for-6 with a double and three RBIs, Woods went 2-for-8 with two RBIs; Mancini went 2-for-8 with a double; Myers went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored; Laney Harris went 1-for-5 with a walk and two runs scored; Cunningham went 1-for-5 with a double, a walk and a run scored; Kiley Harris went 1-for-5 with a walk, a RBI and a run scored, and Ware went 1-for-5 with a run scored to round out the effort.