By By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
Oct. 18, 2002
Of the 11 area slow-pitch softball teams that began down the road to the Oct. 26 state finals in Jackson, six are still in the running.
Second-round best-of-three series are slated for Saturday with the North/South State championships on Tuesday.
Defending Class 3A state champion Newton County had no trouble with Franklin County, winning 15-0 and 10-0 at Decatur. The 27-4 Lady Cougars travel to Foxworth to take on West Marion, 14-7, at noon. West Marion got past Morton 2-8, 12-1, and 7-6.
Northeast Lauderdale, 24-7, took two wins from Lawrence County 7-1 and 13-3 at Northeast Park. The Lady Trojans head south to Poplarville, 20-6. The Lady Hornets knocked off Pearl 5-3 and 1-0.
Neshoba Central swept Yazoo City 13-1 and 13-3 on the road to improve to 22-6. The Lady Rockets host Tishomingo County, 21-6. The Lady Braves downed Cleveland East Side 9-8 and 14-2.
West Lauderdale routed North Pike 15-1 and 17-0 at Summit to improve to 23-6. The Lady Knights go back on the road for the second round as they travel to 19-13 Purvis, a 3-4, 13-7, 21-8 winner over Raleigh.
Union, 25-6, survived a three-game series at home with Bogue Chitto, winning 10-0 and 13-3 after falling 7-6 in the opener. The Lady Jackets travel to Mize, 12-4. The Lady Bulldogs defeated Weir 12-2 and 16-2.
Clarkdale, 19-11-1, won two straight over Seminary on Thursday by the scores of 8-6 and 9-1. The Lady Bulldogs will visit Mercy Cross on Saturday and will play at a yet-to-be-determined time.
Not all of the area teams survived first-round play. Meridian lost 7-6 and 7-4 at Madison Central in Class 5A to finish 15-13. Also in 5A, Wayne County lost two games at St. Martin 8-7 and 14-2 to conclude its year at 13-11.
Quitman lost 8-1 and 15-3 at Brookhaven in Class 4A to end its season with an 11-8-1 mark.
Enterprise lost two Class 2A games at Sumrall 6-5 and 9-5 to wind up 10-11. And Nanih Waiya saw its season end with 11-3 and 6-4 losses at West Lincoln in Class 1A.