By Staff
From staff reports
May 5, 2002
BOSSIER CITY, La. The Lady Eagles of Meridian Community College clinched the Region 23 Division I Women's Softball championship with a 6-3 win over homestanding Bossier Parish Community College on Saturday afternoon.
The win puts MCC into the District O playoffs, which the Lady Eagles will host Friday against the winner of Region 22 (Alabama). The first two games of the two-out-of-three series to determine who advances to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament will be played at the Northeast Softball Complex on Friday. The third game, if necessary, will be played on Saturday.
Meridian fell behind 3-1 after one inning of play against Bossier on Saturday, before rallying for three in the third and two in the sixth to take the win behind a 10-hit attack.
After MCC won the first game, giving them three wins against Bossier without any losses on the season, the second game of the doubleheader was canceled. Meridian and Bossier are the only two NJCAA Division I teams in Region 23.
Meridian scored an unearned run in the top of the first, but Bossier used three two-out hits to tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the inning. MCC then committed a pair of errors that allowed BPCC to pick up two unearned runs to make it 3-1.
Stephanie Dixon singled in Morgan Wright in the top of the third to cut the Bossier lead to 3-2, then Kaylora Bingham delivered a two-run homer to center to put the Lady Eagles up 4-3. Dreka Shumpert then came through with a two-run single to put the game away.
Ann McLean picked up the win on the mound for Meridian, which is now 33-26 on the season.
Austin Bishop