[03/28/01] St. Aloysius showed some patience at the plate Tuesday night against Puckett, and it paid off for the Lady Flashes in the form of a win and a share of first place in their division.

St. Al had only four hits, but drew 12 walks and had two hit batters in an 11-1 win.

“Fast-pitch is like baseball some nights you’ve got it and some nights you don’t, and tonight we just had it,” St. Al coach Gene Rogillio said.

Leslie Dyess went 2-for-2 with a pair of singles and three RBIs, and Kelly Haden had a single, two walks and three RBIs to lead St. Al (5-1, 5-0 Division 6), which tied Franklin County atop the Division 6 standings.

Laura Beth Lyons shut down the Lady Wolves on the mound, allowing just one hit and walking four while striking out six.

“Laura Beth threw the best ballgame she’s thrown all year long,” Rogillio said. “I don’t know how many pitches she threw, but she threw about half of what she threw against Vicksburg (on Saturday).”

After Lyons retired Puckett (5-2, 3-2) in order in the top of the first, St. Al took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the inning without getting a hit.

Lyons and Haden each drew walks, and Dyess was hit by a pitch to set up Candice Park, who drew a bases-loaded walk. St. Al left the bases loaded, but blew the game open in the second inning.

Three walks, an error, a double-steal of home and Haden’s two-out RBI single led to four St. Al runs and put the Lady Flashes comfortably ahead, 5-0.

An error and a walk helped Puckett get on the board in the top of the third, but four more walks in the bottom of the inning, along with a two-run single by Dyess and an RBI fielder’s choice by Haden led to four more St. Al runs and made it 9-1, sealing Puckett’s fate. A single by Dyess and a bases-loaded walk to Haden in the fourth finished the scoring.

“… (W)e had too many walks,” Puckett coach Chad Norton said.

The win set up a divisional showdown between the Lady Flashes and Franklin County Friday at 5 p.m., at Franklin County. A St. Al win would go a long way toward putting St. Al in the playoffs in just their second year as a fast-pitch team.

“I think we’re ready for Franklin County,” Rogillio said.