Cats run wild at plate

By By Jeff Byrd / sports editor
March 23, 2003
The hitting stroke came back to the Meridian Wildcats on Saturday afternoon against home-standing Northeast Lauderdale.
Maurice Cole and Ricky McMillian knocked in three runs each to lead the Wildcats (11-3) to a 15-4 romp past Northeast (8-7) at Trojan Park.
Meridian was coming off a 4-1 loss Friday night where they managed just four hits against Demopolis. They had no such problems against a thin Northeast pitching staff.
The Wildcats tallied 14 hits, which included three doubles and a triple off a trio of Trojan hurlers.
What was particularly pleasing to the Wildcats' boss was seeing 16 Wildcats get a chance to hit. Three of the reserves got their first hits of the season.
Leading the way was freshman Clark Bullock who ripped a double in the seventh inning to ignite a 7-run rally that blew the game open.
Clark finished 1-for-2 and scored two runs. Daniel Huggins, Daniel Boyd and Cory Griffin also delivered pinch hits.
Northeast head coach Chris Harper said his team was caught in a pitching bind.
Fulton was the most effective pitcher for Northeast keeping the Trojans in the game, after they fell behind 7-0.
He got the last out in the second and then pitched three scoreless innings before giving way to Jacob Garrett.
Meridian had Tyler Maxwell on the mound, and he cruised through four innings before running into a Trojans' rally in the fifth.
Northeast had four hits in the at bat, which included a lead-off double by Jason Pritchett followed later by RBI hits from Garrett and Jonathan White. The latter two hits cut the Meridian lead to 7-2.
The Wildcats got the two runs back in the top of the sixth.
Both Kendrick Martin and Clark walked. Cole then knocked in Martin on a sac-fly to center. Clark scored on a passed ball to make it 9-2.
Northeast struck for two runs in the bottom of the sixth off a two-run double by Cory Chance. The hit scored White and Ryan Stewart to make it 9-4.
Meridian erupted for seven runs in the seventh.
Clark's double was the first run-producing hit. McMillian followed two batters later with a bases-loaded double that drove in three runs,
Kimone McDade and Griffin followed with RBI hits to cap the outburst.
McMillian had a double in the first inning to help set up the Wildcats' first two runs.
Cole had a two-run triple in the second to make it 4-0. Cole then scored on passed ball. Bobby Stone drove in McMillian, who had walked, to up the lead to 6-0. McDade, who also walked, came around on a wild pitch.
Cole had two hits and three runs scored. McMillian had two runs and two doubles while Richmond Alexander had two runs.
Maxwell went six innings to get the win and move his record to 4-1. Wesley took the loss for Northeast.