For the first time in school history, the Zion Chapel Lady Rebels are State Champions after beating Pisgah 5-2 in the Class 2A State Softball Championship in Oxford on Tuesday. 

Zion Chapel wasted no time, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning and never trailed in the championship game. After Pisgah cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the fourth, the Lady Rebels answered with three more runs in the bottom of the inning. Pisgah managed one run in the sixth inning but that was it. 

Sydney Boothe led ZCHS at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run, while Aubrey Bassett went 2-for-4 with a run and Alyssa Forehand went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Kaylee Hodge also drove in one run, while Shea Wambles and Riley Bannin scored one run each.

Bannin has been a terror in the circle for opposing batters throughout the state tournament and that continued in the championship game. She pitched all seven innings and gave up just five hits and one earned run with one strikeout. Shea Wambles tallied five putouts with no fielding errors on defense.

The win marks the first state championship in school history for Zion Chapel. 

Earlier in the day, the Pike Liberal Arts Lady Patriots’ 2025 season came to an end in the finals of the elimination bracket of the Class 2A Softball State Tournament, losing 9-1 to Pisgah. 

After losing to Zion Chapel in game one of the championship round on Monday, Pike needed to defeat Pisgah in the elimination finals to earn another shot at the state championship. After Pike took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, Pisgah scored nine straight runs to secure a spot in the championship. Pisgah held on to a slim 2-1 lead going into the sixth inning but scored seven runs in the final two innings to seal the win. 

For Pike, Allie Booth scored the lone run, while Camryn Brown, Booth, Sarah Strickland, Haylie Brown, Mary Holland Stephens and Julianne Meyer each earned a hit. Alissa Barron struck out one batter and gave up nine hits and two earned runs in six and 1/3 innings pitched.