Ethel’s fast-pitch softball team tuned up for the postseason by winning two of three contests last week.
The Lady Tigers knocked off Sebastopol 9-2 on Monday before dropping a 4-3 decision to Winona Thursday. On Friday, they rolled to a 12-2 win over Choctaw County.
Ethel entered this week with an overall record of 16-7. The Lady Tigers, as region champs, earned a first-round bye in the MHSAA Class 1A state playoffs and were set to take on Houlka in a second-round series this week.
The Lady Tigers were to venture to Houlka Tuesday for Game 1 of the best-of-three series, with Game 2 (and Game 3, if necessary) to return to Ethel on Thursday. The winner will face either Salem or Vardaman in a South State semifinal series the week of April 30.
Houlka, the No. 3 seed out of Region 6-1A, defeated 7-1A runner-up Stringer in a first-round playoff series last week.
Ethel, meanwhile, began its postseason tuneup with a 9-2 win over Region 7-1A winner Sebastopol last Monday.
The Lady Tigers scored twice in the second inning and never trailed, pushing that lead to 7-0 after four.
Kambrie Hodges tossed six innings and struck out eight to get the win in the circle, while Sidney Rone doubled, singled twice, scored twice and had two RBIs.
Emily Mitchell also had three hits, two RBIs and a run scored. Madison Odom singled and doubled and drove in two runs while Shelby Schuster singled, doubled and scored twice.
Breanna Blaine doubled and scored; Hodges singled and scored twice; Brooklyn Pitt and Haley Wiegel both singled and scored; and Jessica Mitchell drove in two runs.
Against Winona Thursday, the Lady Tigers were up 3-0 before a four-run rally in the fifth inning by the host team.
Jessica Mitchell was the losing pitcher, striking out six in 4.2 innings before Hodges relieved.
Rone and Jessica Mitchell both hit home runs, with Mitchell adding a double as well. Wiegel had two hits while Emily Mitchell singled and scored.
Friday, the Lady Tigers cranked up the bats and run-ruled Choctaw County.
Emily Mitchell had four hits and scored three runs while Rone had three hits including a double, two RBIs and a run. Odom also had three hits, driving in two runs and scoring another for Ethel, which led 8-0 after two innings.
Hodges collected three hits, had two RBIs and a run; Schuster singled, tripled, scored and drove in two; Wiegel singled, doubled, scored and drove in one;
Jessica Mitchell had two singles, a run and two RBIs; Blaine had two singles and two runs scored; and Pitt singled and scored.
Hodges was the winning pitcher, going six innings and striking out five.
