Softball | 5/3/2026 10:37:00 AM

CLINTON -- The Clinton High School softball team fell to the Hernando Lady Tigers, 5-3, in Game 2 of a Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) second round playoff series on Saturday, May 2, at Clinton High School. With the loss, the Lady Arrows dropped the series' after Hernando also won Game 1, 12-2, on Thursday, April 30, in Hernando.

Clinton concluded the 2026 season with a 17-14 overall record. The Lady Arrows also posted an 8-2 mark in Region 2-7A play, finishing second in the league standings.

Madison Nelson tossed six and two-thirds innings inside the circle, allowing six hits and three earned runs. She struck out three and issued one walk. The senior's performance helped the Lady Arrows stay in contention against Region 1-7A champion Hernando. 

Madison Rhodes went 2-for-3 at the plate and scored two runs to lead the red and black offensively, while Kaelyn Thames delivered an RBI in the bottom of the sixth to trim the deficit to two runs.

Clinton opened the scoring on a Lady Tiger fielding error, taking an early 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the first inning. In the top of the second inning, Hernando grabbed the lead on a pair of RBI singles.

The Lady Tigers extended their lead to 5-1 with a two-run shot in the third inning and a solo home run in the fourth.

As they had throughout the season, the Lady Arrows showed no quit, adding a Rhodes run on a passed ball in the fourth inning and Thames' RBI in the sixth.