Amy Rutledge, left, second baseman for Porters Chapel, and third baseman Courtney Angel catch Humphreys’ Caitlyn Champion in a rundown between second and third during the first game of a doubleheader Monday at Bazinsky Park. (The Vicksburg Post/C. Todd Sherman)

[08/20/02]Porters Chapel Academy stopped Humphreys Academy’s starters on Monday, then routed the reserves to complete a doubleheader sweep.

Lindsey McCool had an RBI double and Courtney Angel went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and a run scored as PCA won the first game, 5-2. In game two, most of Humphreys’ (0-2) players were from its junior varsity team and the Lady Eagles (4-2) rolled to a 12-6 win.

“It was an opportunity to get our younger girls an opportunity to play. You never know when you need those girls to play in the future,” PCA coach Kevin Griffin said of the second game.

PCA pitcher Betsy Bryan drove in two runs with a first-inning triple and held the Lady Rebels to three hits and two unearned runs while striking out four in 2 2/3 innings to earn the win in game two.

She was equally effective in game one, scattering five hits and striking out four in seven innings.

“She’s done a good job for us all year long, just throwing strikes,” Griffin said. “She’s not overpowering, but I think our infield is pretty good and if she throws strikes we’ll have a good chance to win.”

The Lady Eagles gave Bryan all the run support she needed in the first inning of both games.

In game one, McCool’s RBI double and an RBI single by Amy Rutledge keyed a four-run rally in the bottom of the first. Humphreys’ Carly Hardin tripled and scored, and Hattie Lloyd homered in the sixth, but Bryan kept the Lady Rebels in check and off the basepaths most of the way.

“We didn’t have a good game. I don’t believe we were focused today,” Humphreys coach Teresa Scruggs said.

In game two, Humphreys jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the first but couldn’t overcome wildness from its young pitchers.

PCA sent 16 batters to the plate in the bottom of the inning and scored 10 runs on only three hits. The Lady Eagles drew seven walks and had three other batters get hit by pitches.

Like Griffin, Scruggs said the second game of the doubleheader was simply an opportunity to let some younger players see game action. Unlike Humphreys, however, the Lady Eagles only had a few reserves.

“That was just a B-team game,” Scruggs said. “I just wanted to get all the girls to play.”

Humphreys rallied for four runs in the third off of relief pitcher Angel, but Bryan returned to the circle and retired two of the last three batters she faced to end the inning and the game. Mississippi Private Schools Association rules mandate a 1 hour, 10 minute time limit on all games.

Ashley Harrell went 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored for Humphreys in game two, and Hallie Crook had an RBI single. Lloyd and Hardin each had two hits in game one.

For PCA in game two, Rutledge was 2-for-2 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored.