By By Marty Stamper/The Meridian Star
April 27, 2001
At some point, West Lauderdale may be challenged in the Class 3A state baseball playoffs.
At some point, it may be dark before their game is over.
And at some point, Todd Doolittle might even give up a hit before the four rounds of playoffs are over.
But none of those events happened Thursday as the Knights opened their second-round series with North Pike with a 10-0 win at Collinsville. It was the second straight quick no-hitter for Doolittle, a Meridian Community College signee, in the playoffs.
Just like in last week's 10-0 win over Purvis, Doolittle allowed no hits. Last week, two runners reached base n one on a walk and one on a passed ball on a strikeout.
This time, Doolittle's flirtation with a perfect game was even closer. The Jaguars' only baserunner was when Josh Mathews reached on a error in the top of the fourth when Knight shortstop Trent Posey booted a ground ball.
Doolittle struck out 10 of the Jaguars' 15 outs in upping his record to 11-0.
North Pike coach George Lott said offense was his team's strong suit … until it did nothing against Doolittle.
West took care of its business at the plate, getting 10 runs on 11 hits.
The Knights got three runs in the bottom of the first as Josh Snider led off with a double to left-center. After a walk to Doolittle, a wild pitch by Buddy Van Norman (10-2) put runners at second and third. Both scored on groundouts by Brad McKee and Van Wilson.
Posey continued the inning when he reached on a two-out throwing error by Jaguar shortstop J.T. Lamkin. After Posey stole second, Ryan Clay followed with an RBI-single to right field to put the Knights up 3-0.
The Knights added a run in the second inning. Miles Joyner hit a soft two-out liner to right field. With courtesy runner Brent Boutwell going on the pitch, Snider hit his second double of the night into the left-field corner with Boutwell scoring from first.
McKee led off the third frame with a double and took third on a wild pitch, but was retired in a rundown on a botched squeeze play.
Richie McAllister led off the bottom of the fourth with a towering homer to left field. A two-out error on Snider's ground ball to Lamkin led to two more Knight runs. Doolittle singled in the inning, while McKee stretched a single into a double when nobody covered second base as two runs scored on his hit to center field.
In the fifth, Clay walked, stole second, and scored on an infield single by Bo Davis. Joyner added an RBI-single in the inning with the final run scoring on Lamkin's third error of the game.
North Pike fell to 22-3.
Snider and McKee both had two doubles for the Knights, 31-3, while Joyner had a pair of singles.
The series resumes Saturday at 1 p.m. at Summit.
Marty Stamper is a sports writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail him at mstamper@themeridianstar.com.