By By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
October 17, 2002
UNION Trailing their best-of-three series with Bogue Chitto one game to none after blowing a late 4-1 lead in Wednesday afternoon's opener, the Union Lady Jackets had two options – perform up to their capabilities or watch their season end for the third straight year with a disappointing showing in the Class 1A state playoffs.
After losing the opener 7-6, the Lady Jackets outhit Bogue Chitto 34-8 over the last two games to take a pair of run rule wins 10-0 and 13-3.
Union, 25-6, travels to Mize, 12-4, Saturday for a second round best-of-three series. Mize swept Weir 12-2 and 16-2 on Tuesday.
Union led 4-1 through five innings in the opener with Tiffany Thomas having a pair of RBI-singles. Poor decisions on throws in the top of the fifth led to three Bogue Chitto runs. Amber Maldonado had a two-run single for the Lady Bobcats.
Bogue Chitto scored three times in the top of the seventh to take a 7-4 lead. Meleah Brown and Jessica Melton had RBI-singles.
Union only managed two runs in the bottom of the seventh despite two Bogue Chitto errors.
Thomas and Lauren White both had two singles for Union with Thomas getting three RBIs.
Brown, Melton, Maldonado, and Karen Wallace both had two singles for Bogue Chitto. The Lady Bobcats outhit Union 11-8.
Kia Porter (16-7) got the win with Madison Brantley (14-4) taking the loss as Union's 15-game win streak came to an end.
The Lady Jackets struck for four runs in the top of the first in the second game as Marley Smith started a two-out rally with a single.
Union completed the run rule win with two more runs in the second and four more in the fifth. The Lady Jackets outhit Bogue Chitto 16-2.
Smith had three singles. Thomas had a single and a double to drive in three runs. Lindsay Walker had a single and a double. Brantley and Morgan Milling both had two singles, and White had a double.
Marley Porter and Randi Moak had a single each for Bogue Chitto's two hits.
Brantley (15-4) got the win with Kia Porter (16-8) taking the loss.
Union spotted the Lady Bobcats a 3-0 lead in the third game before the Lady Jackets scored twice in the bottom of the second and four times in the third for a 6-3 lead.
The Lady Jackets added three more runs in the fourth and closed the game out with four runs in the bottom of the sixth. Smith's two-run triple in the sixth put Union up 11-3 with the final run scoring on a bases-loaded walk to Amechia Hickmon.
Smith had two singles to go with her triple. Hickmon had a single and a double and finished with three RBIs. White had three singles with Loren Kennedy, Milling, Thomas, and Morgan Breland each having two singles.
Bogue Chitto, which finished 16-9, got a triple from Moak and a double from Wallace.
Brantley (16-4) got the win with Kia Porter taking the loss (16-9).