By By Marty Stamper/The Meridian Star
Oct. 17, 2001
DECATUR – If it could always be so easy.
Newton County swept Raleigh 14-0 and 16-2 in the first round of the Class 3A state softball playoffs Tuesday to improve to 28-3.
The Lady Cougars will play the North Pike-Purvis series winner on Saturday, either hosting North Pike or going to Purvis.
The Lady Cougars ripped 32 hits in the two games which lasted only 8 1/2 innings, while Raleigh had just seven hits with three coming in the final inning of the nightcap after Newton County head coach Mack Fanning had made numerous substitutions.
Fanning was proud of his three seniors for leading the way as the Lady Cougars began their annual playoff run.
Senior first baseman Betsy Clark went 5-for-5 with five RBIs. Senior catcher Krystal Burton went 4-for-4 with five RBIs. Senior second baseman Krissi Harris went 2-for-5 and did not commit an error.
Chaney (28-3) got her ninth shutout of the year in the opener and tossed a perfect two innings in the second game before being lifted for Chassidy Smith with a 16-0 lead. Not bad for someone who lost a contact lens early in the first game and didn't have a backup handy.
In the opener, Newton County scored four runs in the bottom of the first and picked up seven more in the second inning to take control early.
In the nightcap, the Lady Cougars struck for five runs in the top of the first inning, went down in order in the second frame, then tacked on 11 runs in the top of the third.
The seniors also got a lot of help from their friends in the two games.
Chaney went 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles.
Dominique Mapp went 3-for-5 and scored four runs.
Joy Cavenaugh went 3-for-5 with a double and a triple and drove in five runs. She also scored five runs.
Shelly Ferguson went 5-for-6 with two triples and three RBIs. She scored five runs.
Sylendria Johnson went 2-for-5 with a triple.
Holly Jackson went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs.
Felicia Allgood added a pinch-hit double in the second game.
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.