Softball earns tough split with Northeast

BOONEVILLE, Miss. – The Lady Wolves of Copiah-Lincoln Community College almost escaped Booneville with a tough road sweep this weekend, but dropped the nightcap 11-9 after a heroic comeback. The split moves Co-Lin to 24-13 overall and to 13-11 in league play, which holds Co-Lin in the playoffs with two regular-season series remaining. Co-Lin rounds out their home games tomorrow Tuesday, April 30 as the Lady Wolves host Hinds in Wesson. Games start 3 and 5 p.m. with sophomore recognition prior to game one, and a trophy presentation, for the Coca-Cola Classic series win versus Southwest, will take place between the games.

Game One

The Lady Wolves were active in the batter's box in the opener as Co-Lin racked up 13 hits through the seven-inning contest.

Katelyn Hayman led off the game with a single on the first pitch thrown. After a steal, she was moved to third on a ground out and eventually scored late in the first on an error to put Co-Lin on top 1-0.

Co-Lin's Hannah Walls stretched the lead to 2-0 in the top of the third with an RBI single to plate Callie Fortenberry who got to first after being hit by pitch to start off the frame.

The Lady Tigers began chipping away in the bottom of the third with an RBI single to cut Co-Lin's lead in half 2-1.

In the top of the fifth, a single from Hannah Walls put the leadoff batter aboard. April Lynn checked in to run for Walls. Julie Scheuerman ripped a double to move Lynn over, but an error in left allowed Lynn to score and Scheuerman to move to third. Amber Brinson capitalized on the blunder and hit a sac fly to stretch Co-Lin's lead to 4-1. Another error later in the frame scored Harmoni Ashley to put the Lady Wolves up 5-1.

Northeast scratched two across in the bottom off a single and an error to cut into the Lady Wolves' lead 5-3.

Brinson plated Marley Poole, who led off the sixth with a single, to stretch the lead to 6-3, but Northeast got two across in the bottom of the inning off a double and an error to make it a one-run ballgame, 6-5, going into the seventh.

Harmoni Ashley led off the seventh with a solo homer and Katelyn Hayman joined her with the long ball later in the frame with a solo shot of her own to give the Lady Wolves two insurance runs making it 8-5.

Kaytlon Ward shut down the Lady Tigers in the seventh to secure the 8-5 victory. Ward got the win in the circle as she surrendered five runs on eight hits over seven innings, striking out one.

Walls, Brinson, Hayman, and Poole led the Lady Wolves with two hits each, while Brinson led the way with two RBIs.

Game Two

Fortenberry led the Lady Wolves with four hits, but it was not enough as Northeast narrowly escaped the sweep by winning 11-9.

The Lady Tigers were first on the board as a solo homer put Northeast up 1-0 in the bottom of the first.  

Scheuermann got two across for Co-Lin with a single after an 11-pitch at-bat. The sophomore roped a single that plated Hayman and Fortenberry to give the Lady Wolves a 2-1 lead. An error later in the frame added another making it 3-1.

Northeast scratched back with a two-run single in the bottom of the second to knot the game at 3-3.

The Lady Wolves quickly responded in the top of the fourth with a pair of RBI singles from Hannah Walls and another from Scheuermann, which put Co-Lin on top 5-3.

Unfortunately, the lead was short lived as a three-run homer in the bottom of the inning gave Northeast the lead once again, 6-5.

The Lady Tigers poured in the runs in the bottom of the fifth growing the lead to 9-5 before Co-Lin once again got hot at the plate. Walls smacked a double to left to plate Fortenberry and base loaded walk cut the Lady Tigers lead to 9-7 going into the bottom of the sixth.

Northeast grew their lead even further, to 11-7, in the bottom of the sixth. The Lady Wolves got a pain across in the top of the seventh, but it was not enough as Co-Lin fell 11-0.

Hayman, Scheuermann, and Walls joined Fortenberry as the only Lady Wolves with multiple hits as the group hit two each. Scheuermann and Walls led the team with three RBIs.

Kaytlon Ward took the loss for Co-Lin as she got the start in the circle. She went three and two-thirds innings, allowing six runs on eight hits, striking out two and walking one. Mackenzie Gros and Makenzie Smith both saw action in the circle for the Lady Wolves as well.