Saltillo knocked out by Neshoba Central in 6A quarterfinal
SALTILLO – The Saltillo Tigers faced an all-too-familiar opponent on Saturday. They then fell victim to their all-too-familiar dominance.
Neshoba Central beat the Tigers 14-2 in Game 2 of their Class 6A quarterfinals series. With the win, the Rockets completed a sweep of the series and advanced to the North half final. They also got one step closer to their 10th state championship in the past 12 postseasons.
“I told our girls if you're gonna get beat by anybody, you want it to be to be those ladies, so we wish them the best,” Saltillo coach Lee Buse said. “We've had some wars over the years. I wish today would have been different.”
The Rockets put up six runs in the top of the first. The Tigers countered in the bottom half with a double by Mack Frederick and a single by Caroline Hamm to make it 6-2.
However, Neshoba Central’s offense kept on humming. The Rockets (26-4) scored one run in the second on a single by Erica Lyons. They then put up two runs in the third, three in the fourth and another two in the fifth.
Mya Willis led Neshoba Central with four RBIs. Laura Eakes led with three hits.
Saltillo went into Saturday’s game without pitcher A.K. Willingham. The 2023 Daily Journal Player of the Year suffered a leg injury in Game 1, which kept her out of action.
In her place was freshman Meri Campbell Davis, who pitched all five innings. Although she struggled to quell the Rockets’ bats, Buse was pleased that she did what she was asked.
“I thought in the first inning, there was a lot of nerves, obviously, for various reasons,” he said. “But after that, she kept us in the park. That's what we asked her to do. We kind of got back in, and it just wasn’t enough.”
Despite the season-ending loss, Buse was happy with the way the Tigers fought.
“I thought we competed, and that's all I asked them before the game was, ‘Hey, if you compete, we'll live with the results’,” Buse said. “And I thought we competed today.”
Saltillo ends its season 15-9.
Extra Bases
Big Inning: Neshoba Central had six hits in its six-run first inning.
Big Stat: This is the fifth straight postseason in which Saltillo and Neshoba Central have met.
Coach Speak: “She’s been a tremendous kid. I can't say enough about her. She’s the toughest kid I've probably ever coached.” – Buse, on Willingham
