Bank of Holly Springs
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Photo by Penny Lomenick
All smiles with their blue trophy (North AA champs) are (front, from left) Karina Mays, Baylee Floyd, Faith Shankle, Tyler Vannucci and Scarlett Newman; (standing, in back) Lillian Lykens, Jessica Deming, Carlie Vannucci, Alexis McGreger, Hannah Champion, Hannah Swallers, Sarah Jackson, Erin Lomenick and Peyton Stephenson.

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Photos by Penny Lomenick
Alexis McGreger of Marshall Academy tags out a baserunner trying to steal at the North AA Tournament in Clinton.

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MA’s Carlie Vannucci delivers a pitch.

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Faith Shankle of Marshall slides into home plate.

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The Lady Patriots celebrate after beating Tri-County for the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools North AA championship Monday afternoon.

Lady Patriots best in North

The Marshall Academy Lady Patriots outscored their four opponents 43-6 on their way to the North AA Softball Tourna­ment cham­p­ion­ship.

“Offense, offense, of­fense,” head coach Carlton Gibson said Monday after the trophy presentation, “and the pitching was dominant, too. The seniors did a great job of stepping up and taking the lead.”

Next up Marshall goes after its ultimate goal, the state championship. The Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AA state tourney is Saturday, Sept. 30, and Monday, Oct. 2, at the Magee Sportsplex in Magee.

The top two teams will be decided in Magee, and then those will play a best two-of-three championship series at the respective schools later next week.

“This blue trophy is nice, but it’s not the one we are looking for,” Gibson said.

MA-St. Joseph

Two Marshall pitchers combined for a no-hitter as the Lady Patriots routed St. Joseph 17-0 in their north half tournament opener at Clinton Saturday.

Hannah Champion pitched two innings and struck out three. Carlie Vannucci pitched three innings and fanned six. They issued no walks.

MA scored 13 runs in the second inning.

The Lady Patriots’ hot bats produced 13 hits. Alexis McGreger led the way with a three-for-three performance, all doubles. Getting two hits each were C. Vannucci, Erin Lomenick and Hannah Swallers, including a home run. Adding one hit each were Champion, Sarah Jackson, Bailee Floyd and Karina Mays. C. Vannucci and Swallers each had three runs-batted-in.

MA-Central Holmes

The second round game was also a blowout. Marshall crushed Central Holmes 13-0 Saturday afternoon.

The Lady Patriots quickly tucked the win away as they scored 10 runs in the bottom of the first inning.

Floyd led the offensive attack with two hits, one of those a double. Getting one hit each were McGreger, Champion, C. Vannucci, Swallers, Jessica Deming and Lomenick, who had a triple.

Swallers pitched two innings and struck out four. C. Vannucci pitched three innings. She struck out eight and gave up three hits.

MA-Tri-County

A big sixth inning from the batter’s box propelled the Lady Patriots to a 7-5 win over Tri-County Monday and put them in the championship game.

With the game tied at 3, Marshall scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth.

The Lady Rebels pushed two runs across in the top of the seventh but it was not enough.

MA had nine hits with C. Vannucci getting three of those, plus three RBIs (two in the all-important sixth. McGreger and Deming had two hits each. Getting one each were Lomenick and Floyd.

Pitchers Swallers and C. Vannucci combined for a two-hitter, each giving up one hit. Swallers struck out three and walked four. C. Vannucci struck out five and walked four.

MA-Tri-County

The Lady Rebels came back from the losers’ bracket to meet MA again mid-afternoon. That’s when the Lady Patriots turned it up a notch in the late innings and beat Tri-County 6-1 for the North State crown.

The game was knotted at 1 entering the fifth. MA pulled away by scoring two in the bottom of that inning and three more in the sixth.

Swallers struck out four and walked six in recording the championship game victory from the circle.

Marshall outhit the Lady Rebels nine to three.

Carrying the hot bats for the winning team were McGreger and C. Vannucci with two hits each. McGreger also picked up two RBIs.

Adding one hit each were Champion, Floyd, Tyler Vannucci, Deming and Faith Shankle.

MA improved its record to 24-8 on the season.

Holly Springs South Reporter

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