By By Marty Stamper/EMG sports assistant
October 19, 2003
West Lauderdale has found a formula to beat Newton County in a best-of-three slow-pitch softball series. In the last two years, the Lady Knights have dropped the opening game, then won the next two games to take the series.
While that formula isn't recommended for every team to try, it has worked for the Lady Knights who beat Newton County 11-8 in Saturday night's rubber game at Richard May Complex. Newton County won the opener 13-8 with West evening the series with a 20-12 victory in the second game.
Much like last year, the Lady Cougars jumped out to an early lead in the third game only to have West come away with the win.
Tied 8-8 going into the bottom of the sixth, the Lady Knights got RBI singles from Holly Herrington and Katie McAlister and a sacrifice fly from Brook Bounds to advance to Tuesday's Class 3A South State championship series at Poplarville. The Lady Hornets swept North Pike 7-5, 12-5 at Summit.
West improved to 31-5, while Newton County finished 28-8.
The series was sloppy at times as the teams combined for 29 errors.
The teams also combined for 91 hits as the Lady Knights outhit the Lady Cougars 49-42.
Winning pitcher Sommer Jones (31-4) had four hits and two RBIs to lead West in the third game. McAlister had two hits and two RBIs. Herrington also had two hits and went 9-for-13 in the series.
Newton County got two hits and two RBIs from Jennifer Smith and two hits each from Megan Munn, Joy Cavenaugh, and Lindsey Little. Cavenaugh had a solo homer in the top of the fifth to tie the game at 8-8.
In the opener, Newton County rallied from a 5-0 deficit after one inning to take a 13-8 win. The Lady Cougars got three unearned runs in the second inning, tallied four times in the fourth and four times in the
seventh.
Joni Seale's three-run triple in the top of the seventh padded a 9-8 lead. Lindsey Stevens had three hits for Newton County. Seale, Chassidy Smith, Munn, Cavenaugh, Little, and Amber Tyson each had two hits for the Lady Cougars.
Katie Moulds had three hits for the Lady Knights with Kirby Rutledge, Kristi Lantz, Herrington, McAlister, and Bounds each having two.
In the second game, West played long ball in the second inning to pull even in the series. Lantz hit a grand slam to right-center and Jones followed with a solo blast over the wall in dead center.
The Lady Knights pulled away with four runs in the fifth and six more in the sixth. Lantz had a two-run single in the sixth and finished the game with four hits and six RBIs. Herrington went 5-for-5. Rutledge had three hits, while Jones had a pair of solo homers. Bounds had two hits and three RBIs. Morgan Gullette also had two hits.
Jennifer Smith had three doubles and five RBIs for Newton County. Cavenaugh, Chassidy Smith, and Tyson each had two hits. Lorna Blackburn had three RBIs.