Early last

week, 12 young ladies at Rising Starr Middle School

quietly turned in their softball uniforms; no fanfare, no

parties, just a silent ending to a fantastic season.

According

to Coach Miki Howard, the players had accomplished what

no other RSMS team had ever done in the young history of

the school. Not only had they won the Metro Middle School

Athletic League with an amazing record of 9-1, but they

also won the end of the season tournament, giving them an

overall record of 13-2.

They began

the season with eight straight victories, defeating

Whitewater (5-1), Flatrock (8-1), Fayette Middle (11-2),

Booth (10-1), Henry County's Austin Road (16-6), Eagle's

Landing (7-4), Stockbridge (12-2), and Flatrock again

(18-2).

Henry

County gave the Panthers a surprise Oct. 1, as they edged

the Panthers out 5-4. The game was tied through six

grueling innings, but the Panthers could not hang on.

They bounced back the next week, though, and hammered

Fayette Middle 7-2.

The end of

the season tournament was held at McCurry Park in

Fayetteville and it further illustrated the Panthers'

dominance. They advanced to the championship game without

a loss, outscoring their three opponents 30-0. The final

was a match against Henry County, who they had sent to

the loser's bracket earlier in the tournament. Henry

County edged out the Panthers once more, 4-3. They would

face each other once more for the championship and the

game could not have been more dramatic.

Playing in

the rain, the two powerhouses dug deep into their

resources and came out with one of the more exciting

games played by middle schoolers. Rising Starr beat Henry

County 5-2, and brought home the championship.

The

Panthers set many milestones this year. It was the first

time in school history that they won the season opener.

They also finished the season with more wins than any

other team in school history. They outscored their

opponents 98-26 and produced four shutouts. Three players

batted over .500 and the two pitchers, Brittany Matthews

and Rebecca Guertin, combined for the most strikeouts

(47) and fewest walks (14) in school history.

The

Panthers are Allison DePalma, Sarah Fitzgerald, Angela

Garza, Jeanine Guertin, Rebecca Guertin, Jennilee

Huddleston, Sarah Huempfner, Jackie Jones, Shelly

MacBean, Ashley marine, Brittany Matthews and Kelli

McCalla. The coaches were Miki Howard and Billy

Middlebrooks.

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