Kemper Academy ends state title wait

By Staff
CHAMPIONS Members of Kemper Academy's slow-pitch softball Class A state championship team include, front from left, Kacy Barnes, Leslie Beach, Kayla Mosley, Jessica Payne, Chrissi Luke, Lindsey Fulton, second row from left, Eve Darnell, Anna Beth Sanders, Andrea Fulton, Sidney McDonald, Mindi Turnipseed, Ashley George, Libby Myers, Ashley Smith, Elyse Russell, third row from left, assistant coach Lee McDonald, head coach Pete McCleskey, assistant coach Jimbo Mosley and assistant coach Al Alexander. submitted photo
By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
June 23, 2004
It was worth the wait for Kemper Academy.
The school claimed its first team state championship a month ago, winning the Mississippi Private School Association's Class A slow-pitch softball title on May 22.
The Lady Rams completed a journey through the losers' bracket with wins of 9-4 and 4-0 over the Amite School Center Lady Rebels in Liberty. The state title win came after KA finished second in the playoffs in 2002 and 2003.
McCleskey, whose team only lost two players from the 2003 second-place squad entering this season, said the Lady Rams felt they were ready to win the school's first team title in 34 years after last year's defeat in the championship game.
KA was just two bases away from claiming the title in 2003, but Amite had other plans.
The Lady Rams moved into the final game of 2003 through the winners' bracket and were on the brink of defeating the Lady Rebels for last year's championship.
Amite, which came through the losers' bracket in 2003, got a game-winning home run against KA to force a second game for the title. The Lady Rebels went on to claim two straight games for their third-straight championship.
KA received a wakeup call to keep the team on the path of claiming the state crown at the end of its regular season this year.
The Lady Rams fell to Lamar School in decisive fashion before entering postseason play.
In the state tournament, KA opened with a forfeit victory over Huntington (La.) School, and the Lady Rams took a 14-2 win over Heidelberg Academy.
KA hit a bump in the road in the final winners' bracket game against Amite. The Lady Rams fell 3-2 to the Lady Rebels, pushing KA into the losers' bracket.
The Lady Rebels bounced back with a 7-4 win over Central Academy, coming back from a 3-0 deficit, and KA finished its title run with two wins over Amite.