WESSON – The Lawrence County Lady Cougars captured a 6-2 victory over the Vicksburg Lady Gators in Saturday’s softball tournament at Wesson softball complex.

In the late game at Wesson, the Florence Lady Eagles handed the Lady Cougars their first loss of the season with 9-8 defeat.

“This was a good win for us,” said LCHS coach Meleah Howard. “Elizabeth Smith had a great outing for us as the pitcher. My girls did a great job coming through with some clutch hits when we needed them.”

The Lady Cougars (5-1) return to action Tuesday as they prepare to host the North Pike Lady Jaguars. Junior varsity action starts at 5 p.m., followed by the varsity game at 6:30 p.m.

Lawrence Co. 6, Vicksburg 2 

Elizabeth Smith had a stellar performance on the mound for the Lady Cougars, collecting 11 strikeouts and giving up only two walks.

Chandler Ellis took the loss for the Lady Gators with one strikeout and three walks. Faith Thomas (4K, 0BB) also pitched for Vicksburg in relief.

Alyssa Pendergrass provided the offensive spark to Lawrence County with a triple and three singles. Callie Fortenberry fueled the flames with two singles. Madison Hyde ripped a double. Hitting safely were Alexsundria Thomas, Jazmin Thomas and Madduz Kirkland.

Ellis was the top hitter for the Lady Gators with two singles. Blaine DeRosette had a double. Torey Daniels and Faith Thomas had a single apiece.

Florence 9, Lawrence Co. 8 

In a five-inning contest, the Lady Eagles and Lady Cougars provided an offensive show for their fans Saturday.

Florence managed to gain the upper hand on Lawrence County as they took advantage of the Lady Cougars’ shaky start as LCHS committed five errors for the game.

The Lady Cougars managed to rally back late in the fifth inning as they pushed across six runs but fell short at the end to claim the win.

“I was very proud of the way the girls fought back at the end,” said Howard. “We had a chance at the end to grab the win. Overall, we got off to an late start with our hitting, and our defense was a little shaky as well.”

Tatum Walker was the winning pitcher for the Lady Eagles with five strikeouts and six walks.

Smith suffered the setback for Lawrence County with seven strikeouts and no walks. Jordan Harp (0K, 0BB) saw some action in relief for the Lady Cougars.

Alexsundria Thomas paced the Lady Cougars at the plate with a double and a single. Jazmin Thomas, Hyde and Smith hit safely.

Shelby Baker powered the Lady Eagles’ offense with a three run home run. Harlie Anderson contributed a double and a single. Amber Cain ripped a triple. Gabby Smith and Marcie Smith had a double each. Bayleigh Nicole and Hannah Mitchell hit safely.