By By Marty Stamper/EMG sports assistant
April 18, 2004
COLLINSVILLE A hot day at the plate coupled with a very shaky defensive performance by the opposition, advanced the West Lauderdale Lady Knights to the Class 3A South State championship series in just the second year of the fast-pitch program at West.
The Lady Knights battled back from a one-game deficit to sweep North Pike 15-1, 17-8 Saturday at the Richard May Complex.
West had 24 hits in the two games, while North Pike committed 21 errors.
North Pike's defensive woes allowed the Lady Knights to score 10 runs in the bottom of the first inning of the opener. In the inning, West had five hits and benefited from seven Lady Jaguar errors as 15 batters went to the plate. The first seven Lady Knights in the lineup scored.
North Pike committed 11 errors in the first game.
The key hit in the first game was a first inning bases-loaded triple by Kirby Rutledge that put the Lady Knights up 6-0.
Rutledge, Morgan Gullette, Holly Herrington, and Hayley Campbell each had two hits for West in the first game. Leadoff batter Ashley Helms scored four runs despite getting only one hit.
Brooke Lee got the win, allowing only four hits, all of which were singles.
Hayley Boyd took the loss.
In the second game, North Pike battled back from a 4-2 deficit to take a 5-4 lead with three runs in the top of the third inning. Emily Vanlandingham and Boyd both had a single with Lee issuing a pair of walks.
West came back to take the lead for good with six runs in the bottom of the third. Gullette had a two-run single and a single by Campbell drove in another run. North Pike had four errors in the inning as West went up 10-5.
The Lady Knights put the game away with five more runs in the bottom of the fourth after the Lady Jaguars had tallied twice in the top of the fourth. Gullette had an RBI single, while Campbell's triple in the left-field corner plated three runs.
Lee gave up seven hits in getting the win.
Helms went 3-for-5 and scored four more runs to finish with eight for the day. Gullette went 3-for-5 with four RBIs. Campbell was 3-for-5 with five RBIs and scored three runs. Herrington had one single and reached base four times on errors as she scored four runs. Lee had two hits and two RBIs.
Vanlandingham, Boyd, and Casey Dickerson each had two hits for North Pike, which finished 12-12.
Boyd (11-11) took the loss in the second game as well.
West, 15-10, will face the Our Lady Academy-Columbia series winner next week.