Natchez earns playoff spot with 15-5 win over Vicksburg|[9/28/05]

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, September 28, 2005

NATCHEZ – The Natchez High Lady Bulldogs earned the final playoff spot in Division 6-5A with a 15-5 victory over Vicksburg High.

Natchez will enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed from the division, while Warren Central is the top seed. Vicksburg fell to 1-18 with three challenging games left.

Natchez has struggled with inexperience this season, but has been playing well of late. The team suffered two losses last week, and during a 13-0 defeat to Hazlehurst, one of the players quit the team in the middle of the game.

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Things even looked bleak Tuesday against a Vicksburg team that Natchez hammered 16-1 in the first meeting. The Missy Gators (1-18, 0-4) took a 5-2 lead in the fourth, but the Lady Bulldogs stormed back for the win.

“The last couple of games they have looked a little bit better,” Natchez head coach Charlie Williams said. “We’ve been going through some turmoil on this team. They just haven’t been together, but now they’re coming together a little bit more.

“We play at the Brookhaven tournament Saturday, and if we can come out of that with one win, I’ll be happy. We haven’t beaten a quality team this year as far as I’m concerned.”

On Tuesday, they could have easily lost another game. Vicksburg – struggling with youth this fall with only six players with softball experience – had the lead and some momentum early.

The Missy Gators were starting to play the role of the dangerous team that’s playing for pride, but the Lady Bulldogs (2-2, 4-9) answered with a big inning in the fourth. They tacked on six in that inning, four in the fifth and three in the sixth to enact the 10-run rule.

Cacey Champlin’s single in the sixth brought home two after an error in the outfield for a 14-5 lead. Rocklyn Champlin’s infield single brought home her younger sister to end the game.

After the Missy Gators took the early lead, the wheels came off both at the plate and in the field. Seven of their eight errors came in those last three innings, and their next two innings at the plate netted only one baserunner courtesy of a walk.

Bobi Foster, Claire Ray, Savannah Pritchard and Kelli Brewer scored on Natchez High errors in the fourth inning. No one put a ball out of the infield the last two innings.

“We made some errors, and they had some fast baserunners, forcing us to make quick throws,” Vicksburg head coach Kori Crutchfield said. “They capitalized on our errors, and our bats just got cold.”