LOUISVILLE — The Cathedral Lady Green Wave played with more energy and effort in Game 2 of their MHSAA Class 1A South State Championship series on Saturday afternoon at Nanih Waiya High School.

Unfortunately, Cathedral could not come up with the key hits when it needed to and the result was a 4-3 loss and a sweep of the Lady Green Wave by the Lady Warriors in this best-of-three series.

Cathedral head coach Gary Blackwell said he was proud of his team for the way it played after a surprisingly lackluster performance in a 10-4 loss at home in Game 1 on Friday afternoon.

“We played a really good game today. We played hard. A couple of shots here or there would have landed made the difference,” Blackwell said. “They got the breaks when they needed it and we didn’t.

Cathedral got off to a good start with one run in the top of the first inning. But Nanih Waiya rallied when Mackenzie Johnson hit a two-run home run off starting pitcher Marty Lewis in the bottom of the first to give the Lady Warriors a 2-1 lead.

However, that lead and any momentum the Lady Warriors thought they had would not last very long. The Lady Green Wave responded with one run in the top of the second inning to tie the game at 2-2 and then they plated another run off Nanih Wayia’s Brantile Sheets in the top of the fourth for a 3-2 lead.

But the Lady Warriors answered Cathedral’s rally with yet another one as they manufactured two runs in the bottom of the fourth with a combination of small ball and timely base running for a 4-3 advantage.

“We had our opportunities. We hit the ball real well. But when we had runners on base, we hit it right to them,” Blackwell said. “We left a few (eight, actually) on base. We hit a hard line drive that the third baseman jumped up and caught to end the game.”

Sheets would then go on to keep the Lady Green Wave off the scoreboard over the final three innings to preserve the win, the South State tile and a berth in the state championship series for Division 5-1A champion Nanih Waiya (15-9) against either Smithville or Hamilton.

Elizabeth Smith went 2-for-4 with one run batted in and Mackenzie Watts also went 2-for-4 at the plate. McKenzie Milligan and Baylee Graning each were 1-for-3 with one RBI.

With the exception of giving up Johnson’s home run, Lewis pitched an outstanding game. She allowed four runs on just six hits with two strikeouts and two walks over six innings.

“She did a really good job. She was hitting her spots. She was keeping them off balance enough. She did her job,” Blackwell said.

Despite giving up nine hits, walking two batters and striking out no batters at all, Sheets went the distance and picked up the win. She also went 2-for-3 with one RBI.

“It was a well-played game on both sides. It was an all-out great effort today,” Blackwell said.

Cathedral, the Division 7-1A champion, finished its season with an 18-13 overall record.

Monterey 3, Fairview 7

GRANT, La. — After pulling off one upset at the beginning of the week, the Fairview High School Panthers did the unthinkable yet again in the LHSAA Class B Playoffs.

Last Monday, No. 9 seed Fairview stunned No. 8 seed Weston on the road 2-0. But the Panthers picked up by far their biggest win of the season on Saturday afternoon in the quarterfinals as they upset the No. 1 seed Monterey High School Wolves 7-3.

Monterey entered the game on a nine-game winning streak, with five of those wins by double digits, and was just one win away from advancing to the Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSSA State Baseball Tournament in Sulphur, La. and the Class B semifinals.

But on a hot and humid Saturday afternoon on the road, Fairview was just a little bit more cleaner than the Wolves.

“I don’t care what the power rankings are, that’s the best team in the state in Class B,” Monterey head coach Eric Richard said. “They’re a team you ahve to beat, and they were just a little bit better than us today.”

In the loss, Jake Barlow recorded two doubles and Jake Cooper recorded a double and a triple.

Kade Passman was charged with the loss.

“I’m disappointed, but I’m so proud of these young men,” Richard said. “This community has supported us, and they will continue to do that. They don’t just do it when we win, and that’s why we have the best support around. I’m really grateful for that.”

Monterey, finished its season at 18-3 overall.