Clarkdale headed to title series

By By Jeff Byrd/sports editor
April 20, 2003
BAY ST LOUIS – Clarkdale made quick and easy work of Our Lady Academy here Saturday afternoon at Dixie Belles Park.
Emily Howard tossed a two-hit shutout and belted a three-run homer to lead Clarkdale past OlA 11-0 to clinch the best of three, second round Class 1A-2A fast-pitch playoff series.
Clarkdale improves to 19-7 with the series sweep and will now await an opponent for the South State 1A-2A title series next week. OLA ends its season with a 15-6 record.
Lady Bulldog head coach Rick Roberson said he was elated to see his team quick through OLA in short order. Clarkdale outscored OLA by a combined score of 28-0 in the short series.
The Lady Bulldogs did just that behind Howard who limited OLA to singles in the second and third innings. She struck out seven and walked one.
But it was with the bat where the junior made an even bigger impact. She led off a decisive fourth inning with a double and then finished the 8run
outburst with a three-run homer.
Howard ended the game 3-for-3 with a double, home run and four RBIs. Sabrina Woodall had two hits and drove in two.
Clarkdale scored twice in the first. Orr led off by reaching on an error. Then Clarkdale got three straight hits after an out to produce runs from Orr and Megan Potate.
Orr led off the third with a double and later scored on a fly ball to center from Potate to make it 3-0.
Howard started the fourth with a double and then scored on a single by Savannah Satcher. Casey Meador and Bethany Spidle reached on a walk and a hit batsman to bring Orr back up in the fourth.
She walked and Brandi Wright followed with a two-run single. Potate walked and Woodall singled in a run to make it 8-0. Howard then blasted her home run over the left-center walk to up the lead to 11-0.
OLA was limited to singles by Hannah Allen and Julia Reboul. Rachel Wright took the pitching loss.