Cherelle Stamps of Vicksburg tags third base and gets out of the way of Madison Central’s Mary Ellen Matthews in Madison’s 5-3 win over the Missy Gators on Tuesday. (The Vicksburg Post/Melanie Duncan)

[09/18/02]The rain falling on Halls Ferry Park seemed to provide an ample supply of first inning runs in the Vicksburg-Madison Central slow pitch softball game, but when the rain cleared, so did the Missy Gators’ (4-10) offensive prowess.

The Lady Jaguars (15-4) used a double and a home run to end the offensive stalemate and beat the Missy Gators 5-3 Monday.

“We just don’t hit,” Brandi Parker said. “Our defense is pretty steady, we don’t make errors, but we’ve got to hit to win, and that is something were just not doing.”

Shannon Arnold led the Vicksburg offense with a 2-for-3 performance with two doubles and three RBIs.

Both teams started strong as Madison Central took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Missy Gators countered on Arnold’s three-RBI double to score Courtney Prentiss, Parker and Viola Howard to even the score at three apiece.

Kelsey Hudson stymied the Lady Jaguar bats until Josie Manly’s RBI-single gave Madison Central a 4-3 lead in the top of the fifth.

“We just put the ball in play on the ground with timely hitting,” Lady Jaguars coach Derek Topik said. “We produced two runs on two-out situations and made errors to let them have three runs.”

The Missy Gators went in order in the bottom of the fifth and sixth before Madison Central’s Abby Miller belted a home run over left-center field to extend the lead to 5-3 in the top of the seventh.

Arnold answered with her second double in the bottom of the inning, but the Missy Gators couldn’t bring her in.

“We have improved in almost every aspect, they just can’t hit the ball,” VHS coach Laquitta Smith said. “Our team is getting along better. They’re not giving up in the second or third inning when we get behind. They’re keeping their heads up.”