Ryan Silapan

4 days ago | panolawatchman.com | Ryan Silapan

There won’t be any surprises this year when the Beckville Ladycats softball team faces the Cross Roads Lady Bobcats in a rematch from last year’s 2A Region III regional finals. This year Beckville — with a different but all-around better squad — knows not just who they are facing but what they are facing. “We beat them last year and we know they are going to come out and want to win really, really bad,” Beckville second baseman Kaitlyn Mauritzen said.

5 days ago | panolawatchman.com | Ryan Silapan

MOUNT VERNON — Just when it seemed the Carthage Bulldogs baseball team was losing their grip, the bats came alive. After Sunnyvale tied the game in the bottom of the fifth Carthage responded by scoring two runs in both the sixth and seventh inning to best Sunnyvale 6-2 to sweep the best-of-three 4A Division II Area round series on Friday at Mount Vernon High. “Just proud of our effort,” Carthage Coach John Goodwin said.

1 week ago | panolawatchman.com | Ryan Silapan

TYLER — After dominating through district play and throughout the postseason, the Beckville Ladycats softball team saw themselves in a precarious situation. After securing yet another mercy rule victory in Game 1, Beckville actually trailed the Douglass Lady Indians going into the bottom of the second inning of Game 2. “We noticed we were behind and we didn’t like that,” Beckville second baseman Kaitlyn Mauritzen said.

1 week ago | panolawatchman.com | Ryan Silapan

LUFKIN — Gary Bobcats Baseball Coach Wes Colley has given junior Ben Stephens a new nickname. “He’s Mr. Clutch, that’s his new nickname going forward,” Colley said. Stephens once again lived up to his new nickname by breaking a tied ball game with the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to propel Gary to a 3-2 victory over Lovelady in Game 1 of a best-of-three 2A Division II Area playoff series on Wednesday at Lufkin High.

1 week ago | panolawatchman.com | Ryan Silapan

In the Transfer Portal Era, Panola College sophomore basketball player Awa Fane decided to bet on herself and return for a second year. Fane’s bet not only came up aces but struck gold in the process. Fane committed to Mississippi State and was one of three Panola players to sign their Letter of Intent joining Na’Kaylyn Wells who signed with Centenary College and Madison Caldwell who signed with Clark Atlanta on Monday. “I really enjoyed it here at Panola,” Fane said.