Steady pitcher leads Meridian to win on diamond

By By Will Bardwell / staff writer
March 10, 2004
Not even temperatures in the 40s could cool down Brandi Limerick.
Meridian High School's sophomore pitcher scattered seven hits and struck out three in the Lady Wildcats' 13-4 win over Northeast Lauderdale on Tuesday.
Limerick's complete-game performance began just minutes after seven innings on the mound against Newton County in a 6-1 Meridian loss.
Northeast Lauderdale went up 1-0 in the first inning when Lady Trojans pitcher Jana Olczak scored on a ground ball, but it was the last run surrendered by the Lady Wildcats until the fourth inning, when they were comfortably ahead. Meridian tied the score 1-1 when Lindsay Lang scored from third on a blown run-down play by the Lady Trojans.
The Lady Wildcats scored twice more in the inning and led for the rest of the game.
Meridian got five more runs in the fourth inning, two of which came across on a Carsheena Blanks double. Blanks later scored on a passed ball, as did Tiffany Hickman, who drove in Limerick on an infield hit. Hickman's run put the Lady Wildcats up 8-1.
Northeast Lauderdale loaded the bases three times in the bottom of the fourth, including once with no outs, but plated just two runs. Olczak brought Kara Hull home on a fielder's choice, and Meagan Winborn scored on a passed ball.
Lainie Simcox scored for Meridian in the fifth, and Blanks and Leah Thomas came across in the sixth for the Lady Wildcats.
Amber Gray drove in Northeast Lauderdale's last run on a single that scored Shelley Odom.
Both teams had several defensive miscues in the cold weather, which brought temperatures in the upper 40s. Winds of 10 miles per hour out of center field made the wind chill closer to 40.
But the cold winds didn't chill Meridian's bats, which knocked out 11 hits.
Newton County 6
Meridian 1
Newton County scored four runs in the final two innings on Tuesday to cement a 6-1 victory over Meridian.
The Lady Wildcats trailed 5-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning when they threatened with two outs and runners on second and third, but Newton County dodged a bullet with a pop-up to right field.
Meridian's only run came across in the bottom of the seventh when Simcox scored on an Ebonee Ball single.
Blanks had two hits for the Lady Wildcats, and Lang also recorded a pair of hits.
Lindsey Little (1-1) record the win on the mound for Newton County, and Jennifer Smith recorded two hits with a triple in the win. Newton County's Joni Seales had two hits win a double