By CURTIS ROCKWELL

Item Sports Editor

POPLARVILLE — For the second consecutive season, Poplarville is one step away from the Class 4A slow pitch softball state finals.

Unlike last year, however, this season the Lady Hornets hope to take that long awaited step.

Poplarville travels to Monticello today to take on Lawrence County in the Class 4A South State championship. The best of three series begins at 4 p.m., at LCHS.

“”I think the experience of getting this far last year will be a big advantage for us,” Poplarville head coach Jonathan Ray said. “Winning this and getting to the state finals would be big for us. “This is where we wanted to be, to get another shot at moving on to Jackson.”

The winner of today’s series will meet the North State champ Saturday at the V.A. Fields in Jackson in a best of three series for the state title.

Poplarville has been to the state finals just once, falling to West Lauderdale in the mid-1990’s under head coach pete Jackson.

The South State finals are a rematch of last years semifinal series, which Poplarville swept only to lose to Quitman in the South State finals.

“They (Lawrence County) have most of their players back from last year,” Ray added.

The Lady Cougars knocked of Quitman last week to move on while Poplarville beat North Pike Saturday to advance to this round.

Against North Pike, in the first game, an 11-0 win, Kayla Ross had two hits and drove in two runs while Janessa Dedeaux had a pair of hits as well. Kayla Fendlason had four hits including a pair of doubles and Kelly Ladner had three hits including a double and drove in three runs.

In game two, a loss, Dedeaux and Paige Miller had two hits each.

In the rubber match, a win, Paige Miller had a big game for the lady Hornets with six RBI’s and four hits while Alyssa Graeter had a pair of doubles and Ladner and Nicole Smith each had a pair of hits.