It is reminiscent of pitcher Tug McGraw’s 1973 “you gotta believe” slogan about his miracle New York Mets.
For following this past Monday’s exciting performance in the North 4A State Playoffs, the 7-17 Indianola Academy Lady Colonels softball team found itself traveling to Oxford again Wednesday.
They also found themselves only one win away from earning a berth in the State 4A Playoffs.
Their recent underdog-defying day of play eventually saw the Lady Colonels on the verge of seeing their season end with a loss; but the squad battled its way through the loser’s bracket of North State 4A Playoffs by winning a total of three of the four games they played that day.
“They were absolutely amazing,” said IA Head Coach Watson Cook of his team’s play and attitude against high-caliber teams.
In this recent 4A North State event, Coach Cook’s squad entered Monday’s play as the No. 4 seed from District 1-4A and owned a 4-16 record.
However, seemingly refusing to lose, the Lady Colonels nearly matched their regular season win total with this one day’s success.
As for Wednesday’s opponent, the Lady Colonels were scheduled to play No. 3 seed district foe North Delta School of Batesville.
While results were unavailable at press time, these two teams split their games during regular season play.
If the Lady Colonels won over North Delta School and earned a trip to the state playoffs, they would have returned to the field again Wednesday afternoon. Their opponent would be the winner of the Manchester Academy vs. Winona Christian School matchup.
The 4A State Playoffs are scheduled to begin this Saturday at the Magee Sports Complex.
The Lady Colonels’ success was primarily earned with exceedingly hot bats and solid pitching. IA hitters hammered out 61 hits over a four-game day of play to help plate their 54 total runs scored.
The Lady Colonels began their long day’s action with a 13-11 victory over Winston Academy (No. 4 seed from D3-4A) of Louisville.
Despite losing their next game, the Lady Colonels made a statement when they dropped a last-inning 10-9 decision to Manchester Academy of Yazoo City. The Lady Mavericks had entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed from District 2-4A.
The Lady Colonels’ drive through the loser’s bracket then began with a dominating 15-3 victory over Winston Academy. IA pitcher Meri Addyson Donahue would also render the Lady Patriots hitless in this four-inning game.
Still one loss away from seeing their season end, the Lady Colonels then played their fourth game of the day.
Answering the challenge, the Lady Colonels played their way into Wednesday’s competition with an emphatic 17-7 victory over Kirk Academy. That Grenada team entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed from District 1-4A.
The list is long for the IA hitters whose bats were exceptionally hot in Monday’s action.
Leading the parade were Julia Davis and Maggie Jenkins, both of whom drilled 10 hits apiece during their time in the batter’s box.
While Kelly Arrington recorded six hits, Addison Rambo, Aubri Rybolt, and Carlyle Reed added another five hits apiece to the IA offense.
