Green Wave pitcher, Gabe Smith, winds up to deliver a pitch in Cathedral’s 4-2 victory of Smithville for the State 1A championship May 22. (Photo courtesy The Natchez Democrat)

Cathedral Green Wave players hoist the Golden Glove trophy after capturing the State 1A baseball title with a two game sweep over the Smithville Seminoles. (Photo courtesy The Natchez Democrat)

Catholic schools excelled this spring in several sports including tennis, golf, softball and baseball. In the last issue we featured several championship winners. This week we offer final results in track, tennis and baseball.

Track
Vicksburg S. Aloysius senior, Maggie Waites, propelled herself to the state 1A pole vault title. Waites reached the height of 11 feet in nailing down first.

Tennis
After capturing the State 1A title, Greenville St. Joseph sent players to three individual finals matches.  With the exception of boys’ singles, all title matches involved Catholic schools.  In girls’ singles, Virginia Virden defeated Natchez Cathedral’s Grace White 6-1, 6-2.  In girls’ doubles The Irish’s Katherine Anne Terracina and Sarah Hayek lost to Hattiesburg Sacred Heart’s Anna Katherine Andy and Anna Bryce Taylor.
In mixed doubles action, St. Aloysius brother and sister duo, Luke Eckstein and Adrianne Eckstein, took the title by defeating Greenville’s Craig Gardiner and Olivia DeAngelo.
The boys’ doubles match saw John Preston Andy and Carter Andrews of Sacred Heart slip past Pascagoula Resurrection’s Patrick Roth and Wesley Williams.
St. Aloysius’ Aaron Mathis faced Tupelo Christian’s Hank Leathers with Leathers taking the title.
In Division 2A, Madison St. Joseph’s Steadman Strickland brought home his third straight title.  In girls’ doubles, the Bruins’ Genin Starkeu and Eliza Strickland reached the final match before losing to West Lincoln’s sister team of Kay and Kara Clark.

Baseball
PEARL – Trustmark Park, home of the Mississippi Braves, hosted the state high school baseball championships again this year. Under Coach Craig Beesley, the Natchez Cathedral Green Wave captured its first baseball title in 11 years to match its state football title last fall.
The Green Wave took the field May 20 against Smithville to begin a best of three series for the 1A title.  In game one Cathedral outscored Smithville 13-1. Andrew Beesley scored three runs as he went 4 for 5 with two RBIs.  Quinton Logan allowed only three hits in 5 1/3 innings for the Green Wave. Sam Parker came on in relief and shutout the Seminoles.
Game two, played May 22, was a much closer contest. Green Wave pitcher Gabe Smith allowed only five hits and two runs in five innings to notch the win as Cathedral topped the ‘Noles 4-2.  Sam Parker came in to pitch the last two innings and was given the save as he held Smithville hitless.
Over the two games Green Wave bats amassed 24 hits in 61 at bats for a combined batting average of .393.  Andrew Beesley led the way with 5 hits in 7 official at bats for a .714 average.