West sweeps Union
By By Marty Stamper/EMG sports assistant
August 8, 2004
West Lauderdale completed a two-game season-opening sweep of Union with a 6-4 victory at Richard May Complex Saturday night in Collinsville.
Fans who saw both games may have thought they had crossed over into a parallel universe in Saturday's contest. Unlike Friday's 16-11 Lady Knight win at Union in which the teams combined for 44 hits, the rematch saw just 15 total hits with defending Class 3A state champion West getting nine.
Not only did the teams' hitting prowess diminish in a 24-hour span, they apparently swapped defensive skills as well.
Union committed six errors to West's one on Friday. Saturday saw the third-ranked Lady Knights boot the ball six times with three coming in the top of the seventh inning as Union rallied from a 6-1 deficit to 6-4 and had the tying run at first base. Union, the defending Class 1A state champion, made only two errors Saturday.
The one constant at the plate for West was junior pitcher Sommer Jones, who went 3-for-3 with four RBIs in Saturday's win. For the season, she's 6-for-8 with six RBIs.
West took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first with an unearned run on a two-out single by Jones.
Union threatened in the top of the second before leaving the bases loaded.
The Lady Knights took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly by Katie McAlister and an RBI single by Jones.
Senior outfielder Loren Kennedy scored Union's first run in the top of the sixth as she reached on a single, took second on a fly ball out in foul territory behind third base, and circled the bases when when throw to second base wound up in right field.
West added three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth with Jones launching a two-run double to the fence in left-center and Josie Mathews following with an RBI single.
Union took advantage of three Lady Knight errors in the top of the seventh to plate three runs. Pinch hitter Aleese Nichols led off with an infield hit. Brittany Germany drove in one run with a fielder's choice and Kennedy added an RBI single.
