By Staff
COLLISION – West Lauderdale's Summer Jones (22) runs into Northeast Lauderdale's Jenniffer Bristow while being tagged out at home during Tuesday night softball action. Photo by Carisa McCain/The Meridian Star
By Jeff Byrd / staff writer
Aug. 14, 2002
COLLINSVILLE Big hits by Sommer Jones and Amy Frazier lifted West Lauderdale to a 7-1 win over Northeast Lauderdale before a sizable home crowd Tuesday night at the Richard May Complex.
The game was West Lauderdale's second of the season but the first in front of its home fans. The contest was Northeast's season opener.
Both Jones and Frazier's hits were triples. Jones knocked in two runs with her three-bagger in the fourth inning, while Frazier cleared the bases in the sixth with a three-run triple.
Lady Knights head coach Jerry Boatner, whose teams have won five state titles over the past 10 years, was elated to see the hits and liked how his defense responded.
"I was real pleased with the game," Boatner said. "We played great defense and got two big hits. Jones' hit to right got us some breathing room and Frazier's hit sealed it."
Northeast Lauderdale head coach Chris Harper took the blame for his team's defeat.
"We were not ready to play and that's because of me," Harper said. "But it won't happen again. Our hitting was nonexistent."
Northeast finished with nine hits, but they only strung hits together twice. The latter of the two occasions produced the Lady Trojans' only run in the sixth inning when the speedy Danielle McCoy scored on a hit up the middle by Grace Ann Watkins.
The run trimmed a 4-0 West lead three runs.
In the West sixth, Jones reached on her second hit of the game and Jessica Moore walked. With two out, J.J. Huggins drew her fourth straight walk of the game to load the bases.
Frazier then scorched a ball into left that skipped past the Northeast defender allowing Jones, Moore and Huggins to all score, putting the winners up 7-1.
The Lady Knights, 2-0, got their first run in the first at bat when Katie Moulds singled up the middle to score Brook Bounds who had reached on a hit to right.
It stayed 1-0 until the West fourth when Kirby Rutledge and Holly Herrington both reached with singles to start the inning. Jones then ripped a shot down the right field line scoring both runners for a 3-0 lead.
Moore brought in Jones with a hit to right to make it 4-0.
The Lady Knights finished with 13 hits. Frazier was 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs. Jones was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Moore also had two hits.
Kristina Gardner was the winning pitcher scattering nine hits. Blair Rawson took the loss for Northeast.
McCoy paced the Lady Trojans, scoring the team's only run. She also had two hits. The other seven hits were scattered individually.
West Lauderdale will host Clarkdale Thursday night, while Northeast returns home to Northeast Park to host Southeast Lauderdale on Friday.