NATCHEZ &045; When the sun finally came out Monday afternoon, it was indeed sign of a different day.

The sun shone on a softball diamond and on a Cathedral team that is making school history today. The Lady Wave will host its first playoff series in school history today when it hosts Sebastopol in a second-round playoff matchup.

And despite all the rain from over the weekend, the Lady Wave is ready to play, and the field should be ready.

The best-of-three series begins at 4 p.m. at Natchez High as playoff softball continues. Natchez High will open the 5A playoffs today at Meridian.

&uot;My dad and I are heading out there, and we’re going to work on it,&uot; CHS head coach Erin Binns said Monday evening. &uot;We went up there this afternoon for batting practice, and there were a couple of standing puddles of water, but it’s drying up. I think we’re clear.&uot;

The playing conditions were perhaps the biggest concern of Binns and the Lady Wave after the team knocked off Division 8-1A champion Pelahatchie on Wednesday in two games to advance. The Lady Wave entered the playoffs as the No. 4 seed out of division 7 but ended the season on a solid note.

That momentum carried over last week, and right now they’re hoping it continues.

&uot;They were pretty focused today,&uot; Binns said. &uot;As a matter of fact, I haven’t seen them like they were today. They were talking to each other about getting into this game. We had some girls telling each other, ‘We’ve got to focus. It’s in-between the lines.’ I told them if you don’t focus, it could get ugly. If you focus, they’re beatable.&uot;

The Lady Bobcats, the No. 2 seed out of Division 6, enter today’s series after taking out French Camp in the opening round. They can slug it pretty good at the plate and face a team that showed Wednesday it can almost base-hit you to death.

The Lady Wave had key hits from seniors Jordan Chandler, Emily Stevens and Alex Roberts in the two-game sweep of Pelahatchie, but the bottom of the lineup has come up big in recent games.

The winner will advance to the South State semifinals.

&uot;If they play like they did against Pelahatchie, they can beat anybody,&uot; Binns said. &uot;(Sebastopol) can hit the ball. I talked to the coach at French Camp, and he said they’re capable of hitting the long ball. If you stop them hitting the long ball, they’re capable of place-hitting. There’s no room for error, and they know what they have to do.

&uot;We’re not a team that’s going to come out, dominate and overpower anybody. We’re one of those teams that can creep up on somebody.&uot;

Natchez at Meridian

The Lady Bulldogs didn’t play around when it came to preparing for this game. The No. 2 seed out of Division 6-5A, the Lady Bulldogs got on the road Monday for the 3 1/2-hour trek across the state a day in advance.

In a season that’s been marred by inconsistencies, the Lady Bulldogs’ approach is today starts a whole new season.

&uot;We feel good about ourselves right now,&uot; Natchez High head coach Charlie Williams said. &uot;We had a spirited practice today. They practiced real hard for the little time we stayed. We’re going to be ready. We’re going into the game blind and not knowing anything about them. But I’m not concerned about that. If we take care of business, we’ll be OK.&uot;

The Lady Bulldogs have not played since the Brookhaven tournament Oct. 2, and it wasn’t an outcome that was beneficial to today’s game. The Lady Bulldogs have fought inconsistency at the plate all season, relying on big sticks Tracy Davis, Wennifer Noble and Sarah Weaver to get spark the offense.

When the bats are on, the Lady Bulldogs can play. Defense has been more consistent, although Williams admitted his club must stay away from giving up the big inning.

&uot;We haven’t been consistent at all,&uot; Williams said. &uot;At times we have good games. We’re going to have that good game tomorrow. We’re not getting the key hits when we need it. We’ve had the people up there to come through for us, but it wasn’t meant to be. But I feel we’ll hit the ball well tomorrow. The season is winding down, and they’re not really ready to hang the uniforms up yet.&uot;