By By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
Sept. 17, 2003
PHILADELPHIA Neshoba Central's Lady Rockets remained unbeaten with a 14-4 Division 4-4A win over Northeast Lauderdale Tuesday at NCHS.
Neshoba Central improved to 16-0 overall and 2-0 in 4-4A. Northeast, the Class 4A state runner-up in 2001 and 2002, fell to 10-8 and 0-3.
The Lady Rockets had 20 hits and batted .541 in the game. Northeast was 7-for-28 to hit at an anemic .250 clip.
Cleanup batter Samantha Giambrone went 4-for-4 with three RBIs to lead the Lady Rockets.
Trailing 4-0, the Lady Trojans got back in the game with a three-run homer to center field by Amber Gray in the top of the fourth. Gray and Jennifer Bristow both had two of Northeast's four hits.
The Lady Trojans had 12 routine fly ball outs to go with a foul out. Even when Neshoba Central committed three errors in the top of the fifth, the Lady Trojans only came away with one run.
Neshoba Central responded to Northeast's rally with four runs in the bottom of the fourth to break the game open. Giambrone had a two-run single and Laura Smith added a sacrifice fly.
For the Lady Rockets, Sarah Williamson and Leah Dennis both went 3-for-4, Whitney White came off the bench to go 2-for-2 with a triple, and Allison McDaniels was 2-for-4 with a triple. Dacie Brantley had a two-run pinch hit single.
Lindsey Smith (16-0) got the win and hit a solo homer, her ninth, in the bottom of the third.
Kim Crawford took the loss.
Neshoba Central's win sets up a battle Thursday night in Lowndes County with three-time defending Class 4A state champion New Hope.