Amy Rutledge of Porters Chapel peers out at the pitcher as Greenville Christian catcher Tara Henry catches a high, inside pitch on Tuesday. (The Vicksburg Post/Melanie Duncan)

[09/18/02]On a rainy, miserable day, Porters Chapel’s win over Greenville Christian on Senior Day turned out to be a walk in the park. Or more appropriately, a walk around the diamond.

The Lady Eagles (15-9) used 12 straight walks in the second inning to win 16-5 Monday and solidify their standing as the third seed in Saturday’s MPSA South State Academy-A tournament.

Senior Courtney Angel went 1-for-1 and scored three runs, Betsy Bryan, the winning pitcher, had an RBI and scored three runs and Haley McWhorter had an RBI.

“This win will probably be a memorable experience for the seniors, to go out like this in the rain,” Lady Eagles coach Kevin Griffin said. “It’s probably something they will never forget.”

The game is something the Saints will likely never forget, though they jumped ahead with a two-run lead in the first inning.

Angel led the charge in the bottom of the inning with a one-out single. The Saints provided a sign of things to come as they walked the next four batters before McWhorter brought in three runs with a single for a 4-2 lead.

The Saints allowed 11 runs on 13 walks, three hit batters and Bryan’s RBI while using three different pitchers in the bottom of the inning.

“We’ve been struggling in the pitching department,” Lady Saints coach Jason Killins said. “We’re young, but we’ll get there. We’re treating this as a game to gain experience and have fun, and we’ll learn as we go.”

Despite the walks, Greenville Christian appeared to be hitting its way back into the game with a run in the third for a 16-3 deficit. But the Lady Saints’ baserunning soon proved to be a problem.

With runners on first and second and no outs, the Lady Saints’ Michelle Wright hit a pop fly in the infield. The Lady Eagles threw out a runner who had advanced prematurely before both teams headed for the dugouts.

It was then that senior Amy Rutledge realized that there were only two outs, and scooped the ball out of the mud to tag out the final base runner for a rare triple play. The Lady Saints did score a run on the play to narrow the lead to 16-4 before the game was called on time.

“This win put us two wins away from our goal at the beginning of the year for a 18-win season,” Griffin said. “Hopefully we can take care of that on Thursday against River Oaks.”

WC 10, NW Rankin 7

Tranyce Peoples had two home runs and six RBIs as Warren Central (10-5) came from behind to beat Northwest Rankin.

Alisha Stamps, a senior playing her first year of slow-pitch, went 3-for-4 with a home run and two singles. Lyn Strawn and Hayley Martin added two hits each.

The Lady Vikes fell behind 4-0 early, but used a five-run third inning to take the lead. Peoples’ second home run in the fifth gave the Lady Vikes a a 9-5 lead.

Warren Central will host Clinton on Thursday at 5:30 p.m., with the JV at 4:30.