13 teams ready for slow-pitch softball festival

By By Austin Bishop/EMG regional sports director
August 23, 2003
While they not may be playing the most games in the 2003 Meridian Slow-Pitch Festival being played at the Northeast Softball Complex they will be playing one of the most interesting.
Perennial powerhouse Newton County and New Hope, the defending MHSAA Class 4A champions, square off at 2:30 p.m. in one of the 26 games scheduled on the day.
"We have some pretty good matchups in the tournament," said Meridian High School head coach Susan Frazier, whose Lady Wildcats are the host of the event which features 13 teams.
There will be no official champion crowned with some of the teams playing two games, other playing three and nine of them playing four. Each of the games will have a one hour, 15 minutes time limit.
"Some teams just wanted to play a couple of games and others wanted to play as many as they could," Frazier said. "We wanted to give everybody as many good matchups as we could."
Joining Meridian, Newton County and New Hope in the event which will be played on three fields and begins at 9:30 a.m., are Wayne County, West Lauderdale, Petal, Quitman, Southeast Lauderdale, Choctaw Central, Lawrence County, Northeast Lauderdale, Harrison Central and West Point.
The last games are slated to begin at 6:15 p.m. Admission to the festival is $4.