The 2026 LHSAA postseason continues for one local school while it has come to an end for another as Quitman High School qualified for it’s fourth straight trip to the Class B state softball tournament and Jonesboro-Hodge saw its first trip to the postseason in six years come to an end in Division IV baseball.

Quitman 8 Bell City 4 (Class B Softball Quarterfinals):

Trailing in a postseason contest is something that two-time defending Class B state champion Quitman High School is not accustomed to, and never as late in a game as the quarterfinal contest between the #2 seed Lady Wolverines and #7 Bell City at Quitman High School on Wednesday, April 22nd.

Heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Lady Wolverines “Dash for Frasch”, regarding the 2026 attempt to make the annual state tournament played at the Frash Sports Complex in Sulfur, LA, looked to be in peril as Quitman was trailing by a 4-3 score.

Unsung heroes! The heart of a champion dies hard, though. Quitman rallied for three runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 6-4 lead and never looked back to earn the chance to go for the first “three-peat” in school sports history. Making the comeback even more enjoyable was it was fueled by a couple of unsung players, in Avery Watson and Amelia Staggs, who are very important cogs in the QHS machine but seldom get the limelight.

The rally started with Maggie Guyotte reaching on an error, followed by Kinsley Ponder smashing a double and both Brenna Lamkin and Zoee Williams drawing walks to tie the score and leaving the bases loaded with one out. Avery Watson then stepped to the plate and delivered perhaps the biggest hit of her career as a Lady Wolverine when she singled to score Keeley Davis, who had come in as a pinch runner to give Quitman the lead. Amelia Staggs then singled to score London Burks, who had also entered the game as a pinch runner to put Quitman up 6-4.

Head coach Justin Dodson was naturally very happy that Quitman won the game but was especially overjoyed to see the success the two players at the bottom of the order had that was instrumental in the victory.

“I was not surprised but really happy to see Avery and Amelia come through in that pressure situation,” said Dodson. “They both are hard on themselves, but have come up with some key hits or plays throughout the year that may have gotten overshadowed by some of the other players. But they both have contributed to the success of this team.”

Pullig Power! One QHS player who has garnered plenty of notoriety, especially for her postseason play over the past couple of years, is Hallie Kate Pullig. The sophomore, who was named the state championship Player of the Game as an 8th grader, continued her uncanny ability of coming up big in the playoffs by smashing a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to put Quitman up 8-4 adding to a double and a runs scored earlier in the contest that helped Quitman to a 3-0 advantage in the third inning.

Additional key contributors were Maggie Guyotte, who scored twice, Williamson, who had two RBI, and Anna Claire Leach, who scored a run. Brenna Lamkin also played a big role, as the ace of the staff struck out 11 in the seven inning complete game victory, while also knocking in a run to help the cause.

With the victory, Quitman, now with a 23-9 record, advances to the Class B semi-finals to face the #3 seed Hicks, who beat Family Community 11-0 to earn their first-ever trip to the state tournament, which has been held annually in Sulfur since 2002.

Centerville 12 JHHS 0 (Division IV Baseball First Round)

Jonesboro-Hodge’s first trip to the postseason in six years ended quickly when the #13 seed Tigers fell to #20 Centerville in five innings in the first round of Division IV baseball playoffs on Friday, April 24th. Before the contest, the five seniors on the team who helped the Tigers to a 14-8 record, Marquis Baker, Trey Trosclair, Dakota Knox, John LeBlanc, and Jeremiah Turnage, were recognized during a Senior Night celebration ceremony.

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