Copiah Academy will prepare to defend last year’s MAIS AAA State Fastpitch Championship after finishing second at the South State Tourney in McComb. The #2 Lady Colonels (31-7) will face Heritage Academy, the #3 team from the North, in the first game of the State Tournament this Saturday in Flowood.  
In Monday’s first game, host Parklane Academy’s Hannah Moak tossed a one-hitter as the Lady Pioneers blanked CA 4-0. Kamryn Vanlandingham’s one-out single was the only Copiah hit. Kaitlyn Taylor (15-2) was the losing pitcher.
In the second game, the Lady Colonels pounded out 17 hits in four innings as they mauled the Hillcrest Christian Lady Cougars 15-1. Jordan Jones (12-2) allowed only 2 hits and helped her own cause with 4 hits. Kaitlyn Taylor had 2 RBI’s and 3 hits, including a pair of doubles. Lindsey Walker added 3 hits and 4 RBI’s, Kaylie Carpenter 2 hits and 2 RBI’s, and Victoria Allen a pair of RBI’s.
In Monday’s final game, CA faced Parklane again and came out on the short end of a 5-2 score. Jordan Jones (12-3) absorbed the loss despite allowing only 3 hits. Unfortunately, the Copiah defense committed 7 errors during the game. The difference proved to be the bottom of the fourth inning when the Lady Pioneers scored 4 runs on 4 walks, 2 CA errors, and only one hit. Lindsey Walker with a pair of singles was the only Lady Colonel with multiple hits.   
Last week, the Copiah Academy Lady Colonels traveled to Jackson, where they dropped a 6-4 decision to the Hillcrest Christian Lady Cougars in the final game of the regular season. Jordan Jones (11-2) was the losing pitcher for CA, which committed 7 errors in the game.
Copiah scored a pair of runs in the first inning on singles by Jones and Kamryn Vanlandingham, a sacrifice fly by Kaitlin Cooksey, a single by Kaitlyn Taylor, and a Hillcrest error. The Lady Colonels added 2 more runs in the second on walks to Victoria Allen and Cassidy Brown, a sacrifice bunt by Kaylie Carpenter, and 2-out, 2-run double by Vanlandingham.
However, the Lady Cougars scored 3 runs in the bottom of the third, tied the game in the fifth, and won it with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth before time ran out.
In the first game of the South State Tournament last Saturday, CA avenged its loss to Hillcrest by edging the Lady Cougars 5-3 at Parklane. Copiah scored once in the bottom of the first on a one-out triple by Kamryn Vanlandingham and Kaitlin Cooksey’s sacrifice fly.
The Lady Colonels added 4 more runs in the third on Cassidy Brown’s leadoff single, a single by Kaylie Carpenter, an RBI-double by Jordan Jones, a walk, a Hillcrest error, and Kelli Berry’s 2-run double with 2 outs. Jones had a double and single for the winners, while Brown chipped in with a pair of singles.
Kaitlyn Taylor (15-1) was the winning pitcher.