Top-ranked WL wins three of four games

By By Marty Stamper / staff writer
Sept. 26, 2004
The top-ranked West Lauderdale Lady Knights went 3-1 in the annual Rush/Meridian Community College high school slow-pitch softball tournament Saturday at the Sammie Davidson Complex.
West opened with a 13-6 win over Brandon. Sydney Cagle had two triples and two singles, while Kayla Eubanks had two singles and a triple. Josie Matthews had three singles, Holly Herrington had a single and a double, and Katie McAlister, Kristi Lantz, and winning pitcher Sommer Jones each had a pair of singles.
West beat Poplarville 12-5 in its second outing. Eubanks had two homers and a triple, while Morgan Gullette had a single and a double. Herrington, Matthews, Cagle, Ashley Helms, and Hayley Campbell each had a pair of singles. Jones got the win.
The Lady Knights defeated Picayune 8-7 in their third game. Eubanks, Matthews, McAlister, Gullette, Campbell, and Helms each had two singles.
In their final game, the Lady Knights fell 12-10 to Moss Point as Moss Point scored 10 runs in the third inning. Cagle had two triples and a single, while Eubanks had two singles and a triple. Lantz added three singles.
Meridian
The 13th-ranked Lady Wildcats had a tough day at the plate as they finished 1-3 to drop to 14-6.
The Lady 'Cats fell 3-2 to Union in their opener. J'Quandra Hickman had a single and a homer for Meridian, while Lainie Simcox had a single and a triple.
Picayune defeated Meridian 16-8 in the Lady 'Cats second game. Tiffany Hickman and Sarah Beckman both had three singles for Meridian. Simcox had two triples, while Ashley Clark had a single and a triple. J'Quandra Hickman had a triple.
Meridian lost its third game to Moss Point 9-6. Courtney Trotter had a single and a homer, while Beckman, Lindsay Lang, and Brandi Limerick each had a pair of singles.
Meridian closed out with a 16-6 victory over Petal. The Lady Wildcats had 20 hits. Limerick had two singles and a double, while Lang had three singles. Carsheena Blanks, Hickman, Beckman, and Trotter each had two singles.
Union
The Lady Jackets finished 2-2 as their record went to 17-6.
Union opened with a 3-2 victory over Meridian. Loren Kennedy had two singles and scored two runs for the Lady Jackets. Amechia Hickmon had two RBIs.
The defending Class 1A state champs lost to four-time defending Class 4A state champion New Hope 11-1 in their second game. Kennedy tripled and scored Union's only run. Tiffany Thomas had a single and a triple.
Union fell 5-2 to East Webster in its third game, getting eight hits, all of which were singles.
The Lady Jackets closed with a 23-13 win over Enterprise, rallying from a 12-6 deficit. Thomas went 4-for-5 with a double to lead Union with eight RBIs. Morgan Milling, Paige Holsen, Brittany Germany, and Amber Smith each had a pair of singles.
Southeast Lauderdale
The Lady Tigers went 1-3 as their record fell to 17-10.
The Lady Tigers lost their opener 3-2 to Enterprise. Southeast had seven hits, all of which were singles.
Southeast fell 8-4 to Moss Point in its second contest. The Lady Tigers got a single and a triple from Lindsey Graham, a triple from Martika Ivy, and a pair of singles from Jessica Rose.
In their third contest, the Lady Tigers knocked off Petal 7-6 with the winning run coming home on Tiffany Roulier's single in the ninth inning. Graham had a two-run homer, while Lucy Ruffin, Heather Ward, Ivy, and Heather Harper each had a pair of singles.
Southeast closed out with a 10-4 loss to Picayune. Ivy had a single and a triple, while Harper and Ruffin had two singles each.
Newton County
Newton County turned in a 3-1 showing as the Lady Cougars upped their record to 14-9.
The Lady Cougars opened their day with a 10-1 win over Northeast Lauderdale. Kristen Pillsbury, Melissa Robinson, Bettina McDougle, and winning pitcher Chassidy Smith each had two singles, while Joni Seale had a triple.
In the second game, the Lady Cougars crushed fifth-ranked Picayune 14-1. Robinson had a single and a triple. Pillsbury, McDougle, and Megan Munn each had two singles. Ashton Benson had a triple, while Smith added a two-run single.
In their third outing, the Lady Cougars ripped Poplarville 10-1. Lorna Blackburn had two singles and a double, while Lindsey Stevens, and Kasie Buckley both had a pair of singles. Pillsbury had a two-run single.
The Lady Cougars saw a seven-game win streak snapped with an 11-4 loss to New Hope. McDougle had a single and a double, while Robinson and Stevens both had a pair of singles.
Northeast Lauderdale
The Lady Trojans also went 1-3 as they fell to 10-13 for the year.
The Lady Trojans lost their opener 10-1 to Newton County. All six of Northeast's hits were singles.
Brandon defeated Northeast 14-4 in the Lady Trojans' second game. The Lady Trojans had 12 hits with Jessica Love, Shelley Odom, Savannah Hall, and Logan Olczak each having two singles.
The Lady Trojans fell 9-4 to Moss Point in their third game. Olczak and Jenny Simpson both went 2-for-3 with Simpson getting a double.
Northeast closed with a 15-9 win over East Webster. Savannah Hall went 3-for-5 with a homer and a triple. Odom and Mallory Pace both had three singles, while Kara Hull had a single and a double. Love and Meagan Winborn both had two singles.
Enterprise
The Lady Bulldogs also had a 1-3 showing.
The Lady Bulldogs fell 3-2 to Southeast Lauderdale in their opener. Baleigh Volking had two singles, while Summer Robinson added an RBI single.
Enterprise lost 7-4 to East Webster in its second game and 10-9 to Brandon in its third game after leading 9-1. In their final contest, the Lady Bulldogs fell 23-13 to Union after leading 12-6.
In other games involving non-area teams, New Hope defeated Petal 10-9, Petal doubled Brandon 8-4, New Hope beat Poplarville 12-3, and Poplarville defeated East Webster 13-6.