By By Marty Stamper/The Meridian Star
June 17, 2001
North Meridian Optimist and Ladies Choice were the last undefeated teams in the 14-under division of the State Games of Mississippi slow-pitch softball tournament Saturday at Sammie Davidson Complex.
Also alive in the 10-team tournament at press deadline were St. Martin, Tornadoes, Biloxi, Hamilton, and Mississippi Heartbreakers. Late results will be in Monday's edition of The Meridian Star.
NMO 18, Kossuth 4: Amber Gray had two singles and two triples to lead North Meridian in the opening-round rout.
NMO also got a single, a double, and a homer from Katie Moulds. Jennifer Bristow added two singles and a double. Kirby Rutledge, Jo Havard, Shannon Creel, and Kim Crawford each had two singles. Carsheena Blanks had a single and a double.
Kossuth got two singles apiece from Kimmons Mitchell, Anna Lyles, and Megan Kemp.
Ladies Choice 8, Southern Sportsmen 4: Ladies Choice doubled Southern Sportsmen in the early game.
Cheryl Luquire had two singles to lead Southern Sportsman which had nine hits.
Mississippi Heartbreakers 24, West Lauderdale 2: The Heartbreakers crushed West Lauderdale in the early morning contest.
West Lauderdale had nine hits. Jessica Fason and Dominique Thomas both had two singles.
Southern Sportsman 11, Kossuth 8: Southern Sportsman stayed alive with a six-run rally in the top of the fifth and used a four-run seventh to take the win.
Trailing 5-1, Southern Sportsman went up 7-5 in the top of the fifth only to have Kossuth draw even with two runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Southern Sportsman crossed the plate four times in the top of the seventh for the win.
Amanda Parker had a pair of singles and a triple for Southern Sportsman, while Megan Potate had two singles and a double. Cheryl Luquire, Emily Howard, Kara Hull, and Ashton Shirley each had a pair of singles. Brittney Speed had a single and a two-run double. Brandi Limerick also had a single and a double. Kaylea Thrash and Lorna Blackburn both had a double.
Amanda Hardwick had three singles for Kossuth, while Anna Hendrix had two singles and a double. Kimmons Mitchell had a single and a two-run triple. Hannah Sutton and Anna Lyles both had two singles. Danielle Ingram added a single and a triple.
St. Martin 16, West Lauderdale 15: St. Martin used a six-run second inning and a five-run third to eliminate West Lauderdale.
West got two singles and a triple from Brittney Demille, a single and a triple from Sommer Jones, and a single and a double from Dominique Thomas.
NMO 13, Biloxi 5: North Meridian used a seven-run sixth inning to belt Biloxi.
Amber Gray had two doubles and a single for NMO. Kirby Rutledge had two singles and a triple. Carsheena Blanks added two singles and a double. Lizzie Williams collected three singles. Shannon Creel and Jessica Moore both had a pair of singles.
Rilee White had a single and a double for Biloxi. Samantha Rollberg added a pair of singles.
Mississippi Heartbreakers 10, Southern Sportsman 4: The Heartbreakers used a six-run second inning to eliminate Southern Sportsman.
Megan Potate had three singles for Southern Sportsman. Cheryl Luquire, Emily Howard, Brittney Speed, and Kaylea Thrash each had two singles.
The Heartbreakers got three singles and a triple from Tracy Roberts, two singles and a double from Laura Langley, three singles from Emily Walls, two singles and a double from Kasey Roebuck, two singles from Lindsay Presley, and a triple from Kelli Neal.
In other games, Hamilton Hustlers ripped St. Martin 18-1, Ladies Choice hammered Tornadoes 16-5, Biloxi downed Heartbreakers 12-8, and Ladies Choice slipped past Hamilton Hustlers 6-4.
Marty Stamper is a sports writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail him at mstamper@themeridianstar .com.