Here is a look at area high school softball action from games played on Friday night in the MHSAA postseason.

West Lincoln 4, Pisgah 3

Trailing 3-0 after four complete innings on the road Friday in the first game of their second-round playoff series, the West Lincoln Bears found some magic in the top of the fifth to tie the game at 3-3. The Bears then produced a go-ahead score in the top of the seventh and kept Pisgah off the board in its final at bat to leave Rankin County with a 4-3 win and a 1-0 series lead.

Game two will be played at West Lincoln on Saturday at 11 a.m.

Sophomore pitcher Whitney Grace Whittington was the difference in the circle for the Bears. She struck out seven, walked two, surrendered five hits and allowed two earned runs.

With runners on first and second and two outs, Whittington got a fly ball to center field for the final out of the game in the bottom of the seventh. She also got a strikeout to end the sixth with Pisgah runners on second and third.

It was also Whittington who got the West Lincoln jump started to start the fifth inning as she led off with a single.

West Lincoln got on the board when freshman Riley Martin hit a sacrifice fly later in the inning and then added to the total a batter later via an outfield error by the Dragons.

Now only trailing 3-2, the Bears stayed hot when freshman Kylei Jarancik hit  an RBI single that tied the game at 3-3.

The go-ahead run for the Bears and coach Anita Thornton came when Jarancik reached on a dropped third strike that eventually led to an error and a scored run by Martin to put West Lincoln ahead.

The Dragons (21-7) had beaten the Bears (16-8) by a 9-0 final score when the teams met on March 2 in the regular season. If a third game is needed to complete the series, it is scheduled to be played at Pisgah on Monday.

 

Puckett 3, Loyd Star 2

Loyd Star (16-8-1) spotted Puckett (24-8) a 3-0 lead and then fought back on Friday at home in the first game of their MHSAA 2A second round playoff series.

The Hornets and coach John Smith had runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but Puckett pitcher Lila Murphy got a strikeout and a groundout to end the threat and the game.

Puckett will try to close out the series at home on Saturday in a game that’s scheduled to start at 2 p.m.

The Wolves from Rankin County got one run in the second, one run in the third and one run in the sixth to build their lead.

In all three of those innings, Puckett got its leadoff batter of the frame on the basepaths. Comparatively, the Hornets didn’t get a baserunner on with no outs until the fifth inning, when junior Avery Sellers led things off with a walk.

The Loyd Star offense finally started clicking in the bottom of the sixth when junior Ainsley Gennaro smacked a one-out double.

Gennaro then scored on a single by freshman Maddie Kate Britt to make the score 3-1. Britt moved to second on the throw and scored later in the inning on a single by freshman Layla Burt.

Burt struck out three in the circle, giving up two earned runs on six hits over seven innings. Murphy struck out three, walked four, hit one batter, and gave up two earned runs on five hits.

It was the second win of the season for Puckett over Loyd Star as the Wolves took a 4-0 win in a matchup on March 1.

 

Wesson 11, Seminary 0

As expected, Wesson stampeded past Seminary on Friday in the MHSAA 3A second round opener between the teams.

The Cobras (20-3) outscored Kemper County by a combined 31-0 in their first round sweep. On Friday, they used 13 hits to score 11 runs.

The Sanders sisters had a big night at the plate and in the field for coach Michelle Nunnery and the Cobras.

Eighth-grade slugger Madelyn Sandres blasted two home runs for Wesson and drove in six runs. In the circle, senior Mallory Sanders struck out eight, walked 10, and gave up only two hits to earn the win.

Wesson scored five runs in the first, four in the second and two in the third to make sure the game would only last 4.5 innings.

Juniors Emileigh Woodson and Lilly Channell, who bat seventh and eighth for the Cobras, both had big nights with two RBIs apiece. Woodson hit a pair of doubles. Sophomore infielder Macy Loy, the six-hole batter for WAC, also had one RBI in the win.

Wesson will head to Covington County on Saturday in game two. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.

Ethel 2, Enterprise 1

The homestanding Ethel Tigers (15-13) scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning and that would be enough to eke out a 2-1 over the Enterprise Yellow Jackets (14-10) on Friday in Attala County.

The win gives the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the MHSAA 1A series between the schools. Game two at Enterprise is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday and is a game the Jackets must win if they’re to keep their season alive.

Enterprise and coach Alicia Smith out-hit Ethel 6-5 but left two runners on in the first inning and two runners on in the third inning.

The Jackets broke through to start the fourth inning, as senior Harleigh Clark got on with a two-out single and then scored on a double by sophomore Isabella Jordan.

Jordan ended up at third on the throw, but Ethel pitcher Elena White got a strikeout to end the inning.

Clark, Jordan, Zoey Dean, Caitlin Case, Terra Vining, and Natalie Williams each hit safely for the Yellow Jackets.

Enterprise got two on in the sixth but could not get a runner on in the seventh to threaten again.

Miranda Anderson started in the circle for Enterprise. She struck one and walked one. She gave up five hits and two unearned runs.

East Central 12, Brookhaven High 1

The East Central Hornets started fast, scoring nine runs in the second, to shoot past Brookhaven High 12-1 on Friday in Hurley.

The game was the opener of the MHSAA 5A series between the schools. Game two of the series will be played in Brookhaven at 12 p.m. on Saturday.

Brookhaven High (15-13) got three hits in the opener. Jayonna Pendleton had a single and shortstop Journi Hunt hit two singles for BHS head coach Mandy Vinson.

The Ole Brook defense committed seven errors on the night and East Central (20-4) put together a nine hit effort.