Mount Paran Christian Softball Defeats Prince Avenue Christian in GHSA final to win their second title in six years.
Mount Paran Christian’s varsity softball team conquered the State Championship this past weekend with a historic title run. Capturing the program’s second State title — the first being from 2020 — with a 17-7 victory over Prince Avenue Christian in the GHSA Class A-AAAA Private State Championship game Saturday in Columbus. The victory capped the Lady Eagles’ perfect 4-0 run through the State tournament double-elimination bracket.
They finished the season with a 25-9 record. The team was challenged in regular season play with a grueling schedule against some of the best teams in metro Atlanta. The Lady Eagles went into the playoffs battle-tested against opponents like Creekview (State champs), Woodstock, North Paulding, Hillgrove, Kennesaw Mountain, and Blessed Trinity. Junior Hadley O’Kelley and senior Claire Lussier led the Eagles on the mound through the heart of the fall season. Clemson commit Kira Driggers ‘28, made school history with 18 home runs, setting a new Mount Paran single-season record. MPC continued to open the GHSA playoffs by sweeping Westminster at home 2-0.
“The kids, the players going to this school, they’re at the right place. MPCS provides a great education, a great Christ-centered environment, and our families reflect that. They support us in the way that we want to be supported,” said Head Coach Greg Giles. “We couldn’t ask for anything more from our alumni, our families, and our administration.
Sophomore Sophia Blane earned tournament MVP honors after hitting two home runs in the championship game, including the walk-off homer that sealed the title. MPC’s offense collected 13 hits in the final and scored 45 runs across its four winner’s bracket victories.
Freshman Mary Norton helped get the Eagles on the scoreboard with an RBI single as MPC built a 3-0 first-inning lead. Prince Avenue Christian responded, tying the game 4-4 after three innings and later moving ahead. The Eagles answered with a decisive fourth-inning rally that
started with a grand slam from Norton and finished with the team collecting four hits and scoring six runs to take a 10-5 lead in the title game.
MPC continued to add to its advantage over the final two innings. Driggers drew five walks in the championship game, including one with the bases loaded to bring home a run. Blane delivered the final blow with her second home run, ending the game at 17-7.
Blane also was the starting pitcher in the circle and struck out four batters. Sophomore Rebecca Cunane added two strikeouts in relief, helping keep Prince Avenue from regaining the lead. Ava Mosley ‘29 and Maddie Pendley ‘27 each collected multiple hits, while ninth-grade catcher Katie Lussier helped anchor an error-free defensive performance behind the dish.
“Ava Mosley hit her first career home run at a pivotal moment in the championship game, which helped us close out the game,” said Giles.
The Eagles’ closest test of the tournament came Friday against Hebron Christian. Trailing 2-0, MPC rallied for five runs in the sixth inning, highlighted by Blane’s three-run home run, to earn a 5-2 victory and advance to the championship game.
“We had seven new faces on the team and six were freshmen. So they had to learn the Mount Paran Way,” said Giles. “They had to be integrated into our team, our practice schedule, and then our performance schedule on the field. Initially, that was a challenge, but about three weeks ago, this team really came together and started to click and we got hot and stayed hot.”
MPC opened the tournament Wednesday with a 9-1 victory over North Cobb Christian, then defeated Pace Academy 14-9 on Thursday. With a 10-game winning streak, the semifinal comeback and championship victory completed an undefeated week in Columbus, outscoring playoff opponents 74-28 to bring another State title home to Mount Paran Christian School.
- Wednesday: Mount Paran Christian 9, North Cobb Christian 1
- Thursday: Mount Paran Christian 14, Pace Academy 9
- Friday, semifinal: Mount Paran Christian 5, Hebron Christian 2
- Saturday, championship: Mount Paran Christian 17, Prince Avenue Christian 7
