Hernando wins 2026 Class 7A Softball Championship

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Game Summary by ChatGPT

Hernando beat Ocean Springs 9-7 Friday in the 2026 MHSAA Softball State Championships at USM Softball Complex in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Hernando improved to 30-9, while Ocean Springs finished 31-6. Kaitly Gentry was named MVP after going 2-for-4 with three runs.

Ocean Springs scored five runs in the top of the sixth to take a 7-4 lead. Hernando answered with five runs in the bottom half, getting a three-run home run from Jayla Sites and a solo home run from Graycin Higginbotham.

Sites went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and four RBIs for Hernando. Callie Desmond had a double and an RBI, Molly Anderson had a hit and an RBI, and Hayden Hodge had a double and an RBI.

Ocean Springs had six hits in the sixth inning. Taylor Farra went 1-for-3 with two RBIs, K’lee Gum went 2-for-4 with an RBI, Kalaiyah Shepherd homered and drove in a run, and Kerrigan Scott went 1-for-2 with two runs and an RBI.

Olivia Skinner earned the win for Hernando, allowing seven runs, two earned, on eight hits with five walks and five strikeouts in six innings. Madeline Sowell earned the save with a scoreless seventh, striking out two. Emma Franklin took the loss for Ocean Springs, allowing nine runs, seven earned, on nine hits with four walks and six strikeouts in six innings.