Union comes back to defeat Neshoba Central
By By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
August 20, 2004
PHILADELPHIA For six innings Thursday, the Union Lady Jackets' offense kept hitting the snooze button whenever a scoring opportunity appeared.
In the top of the seventh, the bats woke up and several starters may have gotten a wakeup call as well. Union tallied four runs in its last chance to take a 5-2 victory over eighth-ranked Neshoba Central at Lady Rockets Field.
Trailing 2-1 going into the top of the seventh, Tiffany Thomas started the comeback with a one-out single. Amechia Hickmon followed with a double to the wall in left field. Pinch hitter Megan Lancaster tied the game at two with a single up the middle.
Pinch hitter Aleese Nichols gave the defending Class 1A state champs a 3-2 lead with an RBI single up the middle. Brittany Germany tacked on a pair of key insurance runs with a double in left field to put Union up 5-2.
The rally gave Neshoba Central pitcher Rebecca Watkins (7-1) her first loss and ended her dominance of the Lady Jackets. She had previously tossed a two-hit shutout in a 1-0 win at Union. Through six innings Thursday, the Lady Jackets had only one run and five hits off the sophomore.
Union took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Loren Kennedy led off with a single and scored on a single by Morgan Milling.
The Lady Jackets' only other threat prior to the seventh inning was in the top of the fifth as Hickmon and winning pitcher Chasity Yates (4-3) led off with singles. A foul out and two fly ball outs killed the scoring bid.
The Lady Rockets, 7-3, got both of their runs in the bottom of the third. Sondria Hillie hit a one-out single and scored on Whitnee White's triple in the left-field corner. White crossed the plate on Kady Chandler's infield out.
Hickmon and Germany both had a single and a double to lead Union, 4-3. The Lady Jackets had 10 hits with five coming in the last inning.
Hillie and Chandler both had two singles as the Lady Rockets had nine hits. Laura Smith also had a double.
