Deer Creek pitcher shuts down Lady Eagles

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, August 28, 2002

Heather Harber of Deer Creek slides safely into home as Porters Chapel Academy catcher Amy Rutledge tries to make a tag on Tuesday. (The Vicksburg Post/c. todd sherman)

[08/28/02]Opportunity and pitches passed Porters Chapel by as it lost both games of a doubleheader to Deer Creek, last year’s Academy-A state runner-up, on Tuesday.

Porters Chapel (6-6) lost 12-6 in the first game, with Lindsey Webb going 1-for-2 with a run, and Ashley Brown and Courtney Angel both collecting a run. The Lady Warriors’ (13-2) pitching staff blanked the Lady Eagles in the second game 6-0, with Brown collecting the lone hit.

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“We played one of the top teams in the state, and we’re not going to face a lot of pitchers that throw as hard or as accurate as what we saw here tonight,” Lady Eagles coach Kevin Griffin said of Deer Creek pitcher Mary Margaret Barnett.

Barnett consistently throws between 55 and 60 MPH and had PCA hitters off stride all game.

“They’re young and we have a little more more experience and a lot of success in the past,” Lady Warriors coach Bart Boykin said of PCA. “We also rely mostly on our pitching and defense, and our girls came out and really hit tonight.”

PCA’s Betsy Bryan pitched her second straight doubleheader and took two losses. The Lady Eagles left the bases loaded in the bottom of the third and fourth inning, collecting only one hit with the very first batter of the game.

“We’re getting runners in scoring positions with the top of the order, but the bottom is just so inexperienced, we’re just not getting the runners in,” Griffin said. “We have eighth and ninth graders hitting at the bottom of the order, and you can’t ask them to hit something like that.”

Griffin said despite the losses, he was pleased with the way his team hung in against such a quality opponent.

“Coming into this game I feared we couldn’t compete with a team ranked as high as they are,” Griffin said. “But just a few mental errors was the difference in this ballgame. So this kind of calmed my fears about who we could play with.”

Lawrence Co. 6, WC 2

Warren Central had 14 hits, but several costly errors led to the loss at Lawrence County.

Katie Barnett, Cookie Johnson, Anna Mitchell and Claudette Gillman each had two hits for the Lady Vikes (5-3).

Four of the six Lawrence County runs were unearned.