By By Rocky Higginbotham / special to The Star
Sept. 6, 2002
As usual, runs came at a premium when West Lauderdale and Newton County hooked up at the Richard May Complex Thursday night.
But not often in the long history of the heated rivalry has one team been so giving.
Visiting Newton County committed six errors and West Lauderdale took full advantage, as the Lady Knights took the season's first meeting between the Class 3A powers, 6-2.
NCHS also gave up five unearned runs in an otherwise tightly-played contest. Both teams had 10 hits; both left nine runners on base.
Boatner's bunch led 1-0 through four innings, scratching out a run in the bottom of the second when Amy Frazier's base hit to right field was misplayed and she ended up at third. She scored one batter later on Newton County's second error of the night.
The Lady Cougars finally broke through in the top half of the fifth, when Jessica Sheehan started a one-out rally with a base hit. Holly Jackson followed with a single and Suzanne Chaney with a walk to load the bases.
Kristin Chaney then hit a shot that was knocked down on the infield and wound up being an RBI fielder's choice, plating pinch-runner Meagan Munn. With two out, Dominique Mapp delivered an RBI single to put Newton County up 2-1.
That lead was short-lived, however. Jessica Moore started the home half of the fifth by reaching on an error and Courtney Godwin followed with a single. After a double play left Moore at third, Fanning intentionally walked J.J. Huggins to pitch to Frazier.
She delivered again with another shot to right field that got past the outfielder resulting in a three-base error that emptied the bases and made it a 4-2 game.
West added two insurance runs in the sixth, getting hits from Brook Bounds, Kristina Gardner and Moore and taking advantage of two more errors by the Lady Cougars.
No. 8 Newton County, ranked second in the preseason after winning the Class 3A state title last year, fell to 7-2. Jackson and Joy Cavenaugh had two hits each.
West got two hits from Godwin and Gardner, who was also the winning pitcher, while Frazier led the charge with a 2-for-3 performance and two runs scored.
Newton County, in a schedule change, is at Philadelphia Monday at 6 p.m., while No. 6 West Lauderdale hosts Carthage Tuesday night at 7. Both games are division contests.