Lady Panthers crush Natchez, falls to Bogue Chitto
Published 11:15 am Wednesday, April 16, 2014
The Brookhaven Lady Panthers hosted a doubleheader Tuesday night where they pounded on Natchez Lady Bulldogs 19-1 for a big district win, and got pounded by Bogue Chitto’s Lady Bobcats 17-2 in the finale in softball action.
BHS 19, Natchez 1
The BHS ladies banged out 12 hits and took advantage of nine walks to ease past the Lady Bulldogs in the opener at Lady Panther Field.
Brookhaven hurler Katherine Shell had little trouble with the Natchez squad – giving up just two hits and two walks in the three-inning affair. She fanned seven.
BHS scored nine in the first inning after sending 14 batters to the plate. Alycen Speaks’ bases-clearing double was the big blow for Ole Brook in the first. Coach Chad Walker’s squad tacked on five more in the second and another five in the third.
Tia Bussey led the way at the plate for Brookhaven, slapping out three singles. Shell, Speaks, and Jada Henderson had two hits each. Katie Grace Culpepper, Danielle Batteast, and Jaden Fuller each added a single.
Brookhaven improved to 1-2 in district play and 6-15 overall with the win over Natchez. The Lady Bulldogs fell to 0-3 in the district.
Bogue Chitto 17, BHS 2
The temperature dipped into the 40’s during the nightcap at Lady Panther Field, but it didn’t cool off the Bogue Chitto hitters.
The Lady Bobcats scattered 13 hits, including three each by Mattie Avants and Terrah Nelson. Bogue Chitto also took advantage of seven Brookhaven errors.
Bogue Chitto pitcher Christian Black, a sophomore, had her good stuff working and kept Brookhaven hitters off-balance. She gave up just one hit and had seven strikeouts, with just four walks.
Brookhaven scored their first run in the second inning when Rileagh Allen led off with a walk and made her way around the bases on a wild throw. The Lady Panthers got their other run in the fifth when Alycen Speaks scored after reaching base on an error. Katie Grace Culpepper had a single in the fifth for Brookhaven’s only hit.
Bogue Chitto scored runs in every inning – one in the first, three in the second, two in the third, two in the fourth, and nine in the fifth.
Black helped her cause with two big hits, including a two-run homer in the fifth. It was her fourth long ball of the year. She was proud of the dinger, but felt even better about her pitching performance. “My control wasn’t the best, but I felt strong all the way,” said Black, who slings it at the plate at 60 mph. It was the heat that Brookhaven couldn’t handle. “I throw three pitches – fastball, screwball, and change-up,” said Black. “And, thankfully tonight they were all working.”
Coach Scott Leggett’s Lady Bobcats improved to 17-5 with the non-district win. BC is undefeated in division play at 6-0.
Bogue Chitto hits the road Thursday for a newly scheduled trip to Stone County (Wiggins). Junior varsity plays at 5 p.m. and the varsity squad will follow at 6:30.
Brookhaven, now 6-16 overall, will host Warren Central Thursday.