Knights sweep, take next step to South State

By Staff
From staff reports
April 29, 2001
Defending Class 3A state champion West Lauderdale clinched its second-round state playoff series with North Pike with a 15-1 road win Saturday afternoon.
The Knights wrapped up their Class 3A series in two straight games with the five-inning run-rule win at Summit.
Ryan Clay was the winning pitcher. He struck out five and walked only one to up his record to 8-2.
West had 13 hits, while North Pike had only four.
In the first inning, Josh Snider and Todd Doolittle singled. After a run-scoring fielder's choice by Brad McKee, Van Wilson followed with a two-run homer to right field to put the Knights up 3-0.
Snider and Doolittle singled in the third inning with McKee drawing a walk. Wilson singled home one run. Clay and Richie McAllister added RBI-singles in the inning as the Knights went up 7-0.
In the fourth, Doolittle homered and McKee followed with a double. Wilson ripped a single and scored on a three-base error by the Jaguars. Wilson finished with six RBIs.
The Knights put five more runs on the board in the top of the fifth.
Doolittle and Wilson both went 3-for-4, while Snider and Clay both had two hits. Clay had three RBIs, while Doolittle had two.
The Knights, 32-3, will host Greene County on Thursday in the first game of the Class 3A South State championship best-of-three series.
North Pike finished 22-4.