Lawrence County's softball team entered Wednesday's Class 5A state championship tournament in Oxford with something to prove, and by the end of the day the Red Devils had done exactly that, winning three straight games to claim the program's first ever state title.
The Red Devils beat Springville 2-0, then defeated Houston Academy 6-4 to force a winner-take-all final, and closed it out with a dominant 10-3 win over Houston Academy in the championship game. According to Yahoo Sports, the victory gave first-year head coach Josh Graham's squad a final record of 49-10-1.
Junior McKinley McCaghren was named MVP of the state finals after one of the most demanding performances of the tournament. She pitched all 20 2/3 innings across the three games on Wednesday, allowing nine hits and five runs while striking out 13. She also contributed at the plate, going 5-for-the-day with three RBIs. "My screw-ball was working the best for me today. I just kept them off balance all day," McCaghren said. "I was getting tired but it's the state championship, there was no way I was coming out."
The championship game was never really in doubt. Lawrence County built a 7-0 lead through the first three innings before finishing Houston Academy off 10-3. Ellie Stark went 3-for-the-game with an RBI. Ava Templeton also had three hits, and junior Bella Cross went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
Cross had spoken about legacy in the days leading up to the tournament. "We've talked a lot in the past few weeks, talked to people that had been in this position, and we talked about building a legacy," she said. "I truly believe this softball team has left a mark at Lawrence County."
The semifinal win over Springville was a tight, efficient performance. McCaghren threw a complete game shutout, allowing just two hits and striking out three. Alivia Terry and Alivia Templeton each drove in a run to provide the only offense needed.
In the first game against Houston Academy, Lawrence County built a 6-1 lead before the Raiders staged a late rally to make it 6-4. McCaghren held on for the win in the circle, allowing four hits and two runs with five strikeouts. Cross and Alivia Terry each added two hits and an RBI.
For Graham, who previously coached the Red Devils before stops at Russellville and Hatton, the return to Lawrence County ended with a title. "This is surreal, you can't describe it," he said. "I've coached a lot of teams and this is a special group of girls. They grinded all year long and they earned this."
