By LAMAR GAFFORD, Journal Sports
SULPHUR – Pineville has been known for its fight all season and Friday was no different as it returned to the LHSAA state softball tournament for the first time since 2021.
However, that fight was not enough as the Lady Rebels lost 9-7 in the Division I select semifinals to John Curtis in 10 innings.
Pineville (21-14) led 7-5 entering the bottom of the seventh, but a two-RBI single by Curtis senior Katie Kempton forced extra innings. With both teams making great defensive plays in extras, the Lady Patriots broke the deadlock in the bottom of the 10th as Kinsley McInnis hit a walkoff two-run home run.
“This team is filled with fighters,” Lady Rebel coach Allison Frye said. “I’ve never questioned that about them the entire time. We’ve battled adversity all year and this game was no different.”
Pineville trailed 1-0 after the first inning but scored five in the top of the second as Madelyn Halle hit a three-run home run to dead center.
John Curtis (24-7) tied it up at 5-5 in the third with McInnis stealing home, but the Lady Rebels regained the lead in the fourth after sophomore Ava Moore’s double to drive in Bailey Byrnes and Halle to make it 7-5.
Pineville junior Addalyn Burch matched Tempton pitch for pitch as she struck out eight and managed to limit the damage against a Lady Patriot team with three signees – two to Division I schools.
“We’ve worked a lot on mentality this year,” Frye said. “This is a tough group.”
The Lady Rebels opened the season shaky at 10-11 overall and 0-5 in District 2-5A, but soared to the No. 6 spot in Division I select by closing the regular season on a 9-2 clip. They followed that up with playoff shutout wins against Lafayette and Tioga.
Despite the loss, the Lady Rebels should be in good shape for the future.
They only lose three seniors – two of them starters – and have a good mix of mostly juniors and freshmen returning.
“I think this will make them hungrier,” Frye said. “This team hasn’t been to Sulphur in a couple of years and I think this is going to make them fight even harder.”
Curtis followed up their semifinal win with a 2-1 loss to Catholic League rival Archbishop Chapelle in the championship game Saturday.