Third straight year for semifinal appearance
The Jena Lady Giants, ranked #3 in Division III Non-Select, took care of business last week and punched their ticket back to Sulphur and the LHSAA State Softball Tournament where they will appear for the third consecutive year.
Jena will face #2 Pine Prairie in a semifinal game on Friday, May 2, at 12 p.m., on Field 16 at North Frasch Park Softball Complex. A win will have them face the winner of the #1 Kaplan and #5 Doyle winner for the state championship on Saturday.
On Monday, April 21, the Lady Giants welcomed #14 Mamou to Jena for a second- round matchup. The Lady Giants would be dominant in this one as they would score 3 runs in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd innings to take a 9-run lead into the 4th inning.
Then, in the 4th inning, the Lady Giants scored 6 runs to defeat Mamou 15-0 in 4 innings. Callie Decker was 1-2 in the game with a homerun and 4 RBIs. Sydney Williams was 3-3 with a double and 4 RBIs. Kiette Cooper picked up the win pitching 4 no-hit innings and finishing with 9 strikeouts.
On Friday night, April 25, the Lady Giants would host #6 Kinder in a quarterfinal matchup in Jena. Once again, the Lady Giants bats would get hot early as they would score one run in the 1st inning and then 4 in the 2nd inning with the big hit coming on a 2- run homerun to left field off the bat of Triniti Williams.
The Lady Giants would put the game away in the 4th inning as they would score 6 runs to take an 11-1 lead. They would go on to win 11-2 to advance to the semifinals for the third straight season.
Kiette Cooper would pick up the win giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and finishing with 12 strikeouts. Callie Decker was 3-3 with a double, homerun and 3 RBIs in the game. Triniti Williams finished 1-4 with a homerun and 2 RBIs.
This is the sixth time in the last eight completed seasons that the Lady Giants have made it to the semifinal round of the playoffs. The job that Head Coach Sarah Roark and her staff have done with this program has been incredible as they have built one of the best programs in the state.
The Lady Giants came into this season though feeling like they have some unfinished business as their season has ended in the semifinals the last two years. This year, the Lady Giants are on a mission to bring home their first state championship since the 2021 season. In order to do that the Lady Giants will have to defeat #2 Pine Prairie in the semifinals this Friday at noon. If the Lady Giants win that game, then they will play Saturday at noon for a state championship. Everyone plan to make the trip to Sulphur this weekend to cheer on the Lady Giants as they go for a state championship.
Remember you can hear the Jena Lady Giants playoff games on 102.7 KJNAFM. If you are not in the listening area, then you can download the MIXLR app and search for KJNAFM or go online at www.kjnafm.mixlr. com.
