By By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
October 14, 2002
Eleven area slow-pitch softball teams will begin what they hope are quests for a state championship when the playoffs begin Tuesday. Each round of the playoffs is a best-of-three series with each series to be completed in one day.
Defending Class 3A state champion Newton County, 25-4, opens at home with Franklin County at 5 p.m. The Lady Cougars closed the regular season with shutout wins over Northeast Lauderdale, Brandon, and Clarkdale and are the Division 5-3A champions for the second year in a row.
Northeast Lauderdale, the 2001 Class 4A state runner-up, opens with Lawrence County at 4 p.m. at Northeast Park. The Lady Trojans are 22-7 and are the Division 5-4A champions once again.
Division 5-2A champion Clarkdale, the 2001 state runner-up in Class 2A, opens at home with Seminary. The Bulldogs enter the playoffs with a 17-11-1 mark after winning their 10th consecutive division championship.
West Lauderdale, a longtime power in slow-pitch, hits the road for a series with North Pike at Summit. The Lady Knights enter the playoffs with a 21-6 mark as the Division 5-3A runner-up to Newton County.
Union, the Division 6-1A champion, hosts Bogue Chitto at 4 p.m. The 23-5 Lady Jackets enter the playoffs with a 14-game winning streak after losing at top-ranked New Hope on Sept. 7.
Meridian finished second in Division 4-5A to Brandon. The Lady Wildcats will face either Madison Central or Greenville on the road.
Division 5-4A runner-up Quitman, 11-6-1, travels to Brookhaven in first-round action. The series is slated to begin at 4 p.m. Quitman finished second to Northeast Lauderdale in 5-4A.
Neshoba Central, runner-up to defending Class 4A state champion New Hope in Division 2-4A, begins its playoffs at Yazoo City.
Enterprise, the runner-up in Division 5-2A to Clarkdale, travels to Sumrall for a 4 p.m. series. The Bulldogs enter the playoffs with a 10-9 mark.
Wayne County, the Division 5-5A runner-up, travels to St. Martin on the coast for its opening round series. The Lady War Eagles finished second to Petal in league play.
Nanih Waiya, the Division 6-1A runner-up to Union, begins its quest for a repeat trip to the state finals with a series at West Lincoln near Brookhaven. The Lady Warriors lost to Myrtle in the 2001 finals.