Thomas slugs Union to win

By By Marty Stamper
EMG sports assistant
DECATUR Tiffany Thomas went 4-for-4 and drove in four runs to lead Union to a 6-3 victory over Newton County Friday night at Mack Fanning Softball Stadium.
Thomas had an RBI double in the first inning, an RBI single in the fifth and a two-run homer over the fence in center field in the top of the seventh.
Union finished with 13 hits after getting just two in a 1-0 loss to Neshoba Central on Thursday.
The win was the first over the Lady Cougars in a long time … if not the Lady Jackets' first ever.
Union (2-3) took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on RBI singles by Thomas and Amechia Hickmon.
Sixth-ranked Newton County (1-3) got one run back in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Lorna Blackburn and tied the game at two in the second when Joni Seale scored on a two-out infield error.
Union took a 3-2 lead in the top of the fourth, as Thomas led off with a single and courtesy runner Caitlin Winstead scored on a two-out single by Paige Holsen.
The Lady Jackets made it 4-2 in the fifth, as Amber Smith led off with a single and scored on a two-out single by Thomas.
The Lady Cougars got one run back in the bottom of the fifth, as Megan Munn led off with a single and scored on Lindsey Little's sacrifice fly.
Thomas added a pair of insurance runs with her two-out homer in the top of the seventh.
After a pair of walks, Newton County got the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, but the Lady Cougars were unable to cut into Union's lead.
Chasity Yates (2-3) got the win with Chassidy Smith (1-3) taking the loss.
Union got three hits from Hickmon and two each from Holsen and Morgan Milling. Kasie Buckley had a single and a double for Newton County. Seale had a pair of singles.