By By Will Bardwell / staff writer
Aug. 26, 2003
One out away from a loss, the West Lauderdale Lady Knights rallied to tie and then defeat Meridian on Monday by a score of 7-6.
Down 6-5 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Lady Knights began their comeback. Kristi Lantz singled and the next batter, Kayla Eubanks, reached first on an infield error.
Leah Hailey's single drove in Lantz to tie the game, and Eubanks scored the winning run on the next at-bat on a single by Kirby Rutledge. The Lady Knights improved their record to 9-2.
West Lauderdale head coach Jerry Boatner said the dramatic win overshadowed his team's slow start.
The Lady Wildcats, who fell to 1-5 with the loss, played tight defense throughout the game, stealing hits from the Lady Knights and helping build a 3-0 lead after the top of the fifth inning.
In the home half of the fifth, West Lauderdale scored its first runs of the game on a three-RBI triple by Eubanks. An errant throw from the outfield went behind home plate, allowing Eubanks to score on the same play and giving West Lauderdale a 4-3 lead.
Meridian responded in the sixth when Carsheena Blanks scored on a Tiffany Hickman single. The Lady Wildcats reclaimed the lead in the next at-bat when a West Lauderdale error allowed Amber Felton to score, giving Meridian a 5-4 advantage.
The Lady Knights tied the game in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Katie Moulds, which allowed Rutledge to tag up and score from third base.
West Lauderdale had a chance to go ahead with a runner on third base, but Meridian pitcher Hallie Pearson got a pop fly to force the extra frame.
Artesian Boyd's RBI single in the top of the seventh gave the Lady Wildcats a 6-5 lead before the Lady Knights won in the bottom half of the inning.
Meridian head coach Susan Frazier said that despite the loss, the close call gave her team a much-needed boost of confidence.
Boatner hopes the Lady Knights will stay hot when they resume district play next week.
In the junior varsity game, West Lauderdale defeated Meridian 9-0.