By Staff
From staff reports
May 4, 2004
SOUTHAVEN Emily Howard made sure Clarkdale came home with a leg up in the MHSAA Class 1A/2A Fast-Pitch Softball Championship Series on Monday.
Howard held DeSoto Central to two hits and struck out five batters, and also went 3-for-3 from the plate with a home run and a double in Clarkdale's 9-3 win.
"She had a good game," said Clarkdale head coach Rick Roberson. "It was one of her better efforts here of late, and she had command of all of her pitches."
The Lady Bulldogs now need one win to clinch the state championship. Clarkdale hosts DeSoto Central in Game 2 of the state championship series at 3 p.m. on Friday. If necessary, a decisive Game 3 would follow.
Clarkdale won a state fast-pitch title two years ago and also has four state slow-pitch titles to it's credit.
Clarkdale jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning, then tacked on three more runs in the top of the fourth. DeSoto Central scored its first run in the bottom of the fourth, but it was the last run it scored until the bottom of the seventh. By then, Clarkdale was up 9-1 after one run in the fifth and four in the seventh.
Kimbo Seale was 2-for-4 with two doubles for the Lady Bulldogs. Lindsay Dawkins also went 2-for-4, as did Megan Potate.
The rest of the series now shifts to Clarkdale High School, where the Lady Bulldogs can win a state championship on their home field for the first time.
"I'm real excited about being to play at home where more of our fans can come and watch us," Roberson said. "I will guarantee you there will be a lot of Clarkdale folks out there on Friday."
Roberson said winning the first game of the series was big, but pointed out that his team's work was far from done.
"We wanted to win that first one for sure," he said. "But DeSoto is not going to give in to us. We need to come out on Friday with the same intensity we had on Monday. If we do, then we have a good chance."
Roberson said that he saw DeSoto Central when they played in the Clarkdale Spring Fling, but honestly wasn't expecting to play the Lady Jaguars for the state title. "I think everybody thought it would come down to Mooreville and Eupora," Roberson said.