Pitcher Susanna Teague handcuffed the Brookhaven Lady Panthersagain Tuesday in the opening round of the Class 4A state fastpitchsoftball playoffs. The Long Beach junior authored a 3-hitter andstruck out 7 batters, leading the Lady Bearcats to a 10-2 triumphin the third and decisive game of the best-of-three series at theOle Brook Lady Panthers Softball Sportsplex.

Long Beach (22-6) advances to the second round of the playoffsand hosts Petal Thursday. Ole Brook, runner-up in the Division 6-4Arace, finishes 16-9.

Due to a traffic jam on the Gulf Coast and misdirections to theSportsplex, Long Beach arrived late and the game started 15 minutesbehind schedule. It didn’t bother the Lady Bearcats on a dusty,sweat-soaked afternoon as they collected 11 hits, including 3triples.

“We stayed loose and got ready to play,” said Long Beach coachRuss Badeaux. “Susanna definitely gets stronger as the game goesby.”

Teague had struck out 16 batters Saturday at Long Beach as OleBrook won the opener 1-0 but lost the nightcap 6-0.

Asked about his team’s strong offensive performance, Badeauxsaid, “We sat back, waited for the ball, got some pitches below ourhands and just drove them.”

Ole Brook senior pitcher Ashley Sykes struck out 3 batters andwalked 2, giving up the most hits this season. She also hit 1batter.

Ole Brook coach Lisa Covington said her team had nothing to beashamed of. “Long Beach is probably the best hitting team we’veplayed. Their pitcher did a good job and they hit the ballwell.

“I’m proud of my girls,” Covington continued. “We had a goodyear.”

Covington loses 4 seniors to graduation in Sykes, catcher KellyVinson, leftfielder Katie Smith and rightfielder BrittanySmith.

The Panthers took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.Leadoff batter Terri Hodges singled to right field. She scored onHannah Lowman’s double over the first base bag.

Ole Brook only got 1 more hit and that came in the third inningwhen Vinson singled to left. Long Beach’s bats came to life in thethird frame and never let up as the Bearcats scored 10 unansweredruns.

In the third, Teague helped her cause with a 2-RBI single toright. Leslie Cassabry singled past short and it was 3-1.

Cassabry produced another RBI single in the fifth, sendingAshley Harvey home for a 4-1 lead. Harvey had 3 hits, including atriple.

At the plate, Long Beach catcher Shayna Turner went 3-for-4,including a triple. Teague’s RBI triple to center in the sixth madeit 7-1.

Long Beach scored 3 runs in the seventh, aided by 2 errors and ahit batter. Teague had retired 9 straight batters before OleBrook’s final turn at bat.

Ole Brook capitalized on 2 errors in its last at-bat. Sykesreached on an error and came around to score on another error.