Matt Vines
The #FightForFour ended Saturday as the North DeSoto softball team couldn’t win its fourth straight state championship as No. 2 seed Lutcher pieced together big innings to deal the No. 1 Lady Griffins a 9-4 loss Saturday.
But coach Tim Whitman had a simple message for his team that won 30 games this season and was nationally ranked – the last one won’t define a season or a career.
The seven seniors were key to four straight title game appearances, three championships and a 131-17 overall record.
North DeSoto has made it look almost easy as no current player had ended a North DeSoto season without a ring on their finger heading into Saturday’s championship game.
“The expectations have been and will always be playing for a state championship,” Whitman wrote in a Facebook post. “This group has made that seem easy over the last four years, when as we have seen this year, it’s not easy.
“I still hurt mainly for these kids … But this senior class leaves as one of the most decorated of all time. Hopefully we’ve taught them bigger lessons than just winning and losing — like how to work hard, how to set goals and go after them.”
Lutcher 9, North DeSoto 4
North DeSoto made some early noise on the base paths while pitcher Laney Johnson basically shut Lutcher down for the first three innings.
But one swing of the bat in the fourth inning changed the entire complexion of the game.
After collecting a single and a pair of walks, Lutcher’s Blaire Clement hit a grand slam to highlight a five-run fourth inning and break the scoreless tie.
North DeSoto responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth starting with a Peyton Miller solo home run, the Lady Griffins only long ball of the day.
Maddie Stringer scored on one of three Lutcher errors to cut the deficit to 5-2.
The Lady Griffins scored on another error when Sasha Falls crossed the plate, tightening the score to 5-3 in the fifth inning.
But Lutcher added two runs each in the sixth and seventh innings to create enough distance from the powerful North DeSoto bats.
Clement hit her second home run of the day to start the sixth inning before another run scored on a wild pitch to widen the lead to 7-3 and end Johnson’s day.
The North DeSoto ace allowed seven runs (five earned) on seven hits and three walks with five strikeouts.
As a pitcher, Clement mostly stayed on the right side of the fence just the one earned run (four total) on seven hits and one walk with eight strikeouts.
Raegan Henderson scored North DeSoto’s final run on an error after a Peyton Miller single, but Miller was thrown out at second base to end the game.
Miller (2-for-4) and Johnson (2-for-3) recorded multiple hits for North DeSoto.
North DeSoto 11, North Vermilion 1 (5)
The Lady Griffins blitzed North Vermilion with a four-run third inning and a six-run fifth inning to run away with the semifinals win.
North DeSoto got runs from across the lineup as leadoff Mia Norwood and nine-hole hitter Sasha Falls each recorded a team-high two RBIs.
Seven different players recorded North DeSoto’s 10 hits with Raegan Henderson (2-for-3), Peyton Miller (2-for-4) and Laney Johnson (2-for-3) leading the way.
Johnson allowed just one hit and one walk with her one unearned run in five innings.