By Staff
EYES ON THE TARGET The South's Kristin Chaney steals second as the North's Keri Ann McFarling awaits the throw from the catcher during the MHSAA Fast-Pitch All-Star game played at Newton County High School on Saturday. PHOTO BY PAULA MERRITT / THE MERIDIAN STAR
By Robbie Robertson / The Newton Record
June 29, 2003
DECATUR Momentum is everything.
Down 9-6 and scoreless in its last three innings, things looked desperate for the North all-stars in the Mississippi Association of Coaches all-star softball game.
But the North all-stars scored five unanswered runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a dramatic 10-9, come-from-behind win over the South all-stars at Newton County High School Saturday.
The North squad took that momentum into the second contest and ran away with a 17-6 win to sweep the series from the South squad.
North 10
South 9
In a back-and-forth contest, the North squad jumped ahead 5-1 after three innings and appeared to be on cruise control before the South squad came alive.
The South got on the board in the first when West Lauderdale Amy Frazier singled and scored on an RBI single by Poplarville's Nikki Smith and the North squad led 2-1 after two innings of play.
In the third, Meridian's Erin Murphy was one of three North all-stars to score as they took a 5-1 lead after three.
But the South squad rallied back in the bottom of the frame as Frazier had a big 2-run triple that plated Natchez's Karmethia Mazique and Newton County's Suzanne Chaney. Frazier made the score 5-4 when she scored on a Kristina Gardner single up the middle.
While Chaney was setting the North squad down in the fourth, fifth and sixth, the South squad added five more runs, including four in the fourth and led 9-5 going into the seventh.
In the seventh, the wheels fell off for the South squad as the North team put together four hits in the inning, including a big 2-run double by Northwest Rankin's Kristen Preble that plated the game-winning run. Murphy also had a single and scored a run in the inning.
For the South squad, Chaney was the losing pitcher and had a pair of hits. Frazier was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored while her fellow Lady Knight Gardner had one hit and two RBIs.
North 17,
South 6
The North squad banged out 22 hits and broke the game open with a 7-run sixth inning to roll to the two-game sweep.
Still reeling from the opening game loss, the South squad didn't manage a run until the fifth inning and was down 7-0 after four innings.
Frazier continued her solid day as she went 2-for-3 in the second game and scored a run.
The North got a big game from Cleveland's Candice Liger who was 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs and 5 RBIs. For her efforts, she was named co-MVP along with Myrtle's Kelly Yates. Mooreville's Elizabeth Mitchell also had four hits in the contest.
Kossuth's Ashley Jones also had three hits along with Hatley's Jana Pearson, and Mooreville's Amber Farris.