By By Marty Stamper/The Meridian Star
Aug. 29, 2001
DECATUR – It's amazing there wasn't severe weather at Newton County High School's softball field Tuesday night.
After all, you had a very hot team in one dugout and an equally chilly squad across the field. It didn't take long to figure which was which.
Newton County scored seven times in the first three innings en route to a 7-1 Region 5-3A victory over Southeast Lauderdale in the region opener for both teams.
The Lady Cougars improved to 8-0, while Southeast, which entered the game with a team batting average under .200, fell to 0-9.
Sophomore infielder Dominique Mapp led the Lady Cougars at the plate, going 2-for-3 with four RBIs.
Krissi Harris, Shelly Ferguson, Betsy Clark, Kristal Burton, and Holly Jackson each had two of Newton County's 15 hits.
Mapp had a two-run single in the first inning to drive in Harris and Ferguson, who had both singled.
Burton, junior pitcher Suzanne Chaney, and Jackson each had singles as the Lady Cougars picked up two more runs in the second inning.
Ferguson and Clark singled to lead off the bottom of the third and scored on Mapp's triple to deep left field. Burton followed with an RBI-double to center field as Newton County took a 7-0 lead.
While the Lady Cougars had 10 hits in the first three frames, Chaney retired 13 Lady Tigers in a row after giving up an infield single to LeAnn Workman to start the game.
Chaney finished the game allowing five hits and no walks.
Even when Megan Brown snapped the drought with a one-out single in the top of the fifth, success didn't last long as Newton County second baseman Kristin Chaney turned Heather Ward's line drive into an inning-ending double play.
Southeast broke up the shutout in the top of the seventh as Lindsey Raines scored all the way from second base on an infield hit by Brown, who went 2-for-3 to lead the Lady Tigers.
Newton County was able to give several players a workout in the outfield during the contest.
Newton County returns to action Thursday at Choctaw Central. Southeast travels to Carthage in another Thursday night contest.
Marty Stamper is a sports writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail him at mstamper@themeridianstar.com or call him at 693-1551 ext. 3234.