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St. Aloysius shortstop Megan Theriot throws to third baseman Presley Brister for a fielder's choice during Thursday's game against Riverfield Academy. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Riverfield Academy first baseman Addison Starks tags out St. Aloysius' Raegan Thornell during Thursday's game. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

St. Aloysius softball players meet in the pitcher's circle during their game against Riverfield Academy on Thursday. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

St. Aloysius pitcher Kyleigh Cooper checks her wristband for the pitch call during Thursday's game against Riverfield Academy. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

St. Aloysius pitcher Kyleigh Cooper delivers a pitch against Riverfield Academy. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

St. Aloysius catcher Madison Spencer throws the ball back to the pitcher during Thursday's game against Riverfield Academy. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

St. Aloysius' Presley Brister, left, is tagged out at the plate by Riverfield Academy catcher Taylor Herrington. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Softball players from St. Aloysius and Riverfield Academy shake hands at the end of Thursday's game at the Betty Hearn Foley softball complex. St. Al won, 10-3. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

The only thing hotter than the Mississippi weather right now is the St. Aloysius softball team.

Megan Theriot went 3-for-3 with one RBI and two runs scored, Ruthie Britton had two hits and two RBIs, and St. Al defeated Riverfield Academy 10-3 on Thursday for its third victory in a row to start the season.

The Lady Flashes have outscored their first three opponents 38-4 and scored at least 10 runs in all three games.

“It feels really good. We’ve worked really hard for this all summer,” Britton said. “We have improved a lot from last year. The team is together and bonded, so it’s great.”

The Lady Flashes are developing an M.O. of waiting out opponents for a couple of innings and then jumping on them in the middle of the game. In their three games, they’ve scored a total of two runs in the first two innings. In the third, fourth and fifth they’ve scored 27.

The pattern held Thursday, when the Lady Flashes scored three runs in the bottom of the third inning to take a 3-2 lead, then blew it open with four more runs in the fourth inning.

“I think we’re just fighting through, even if we’re behind a few runs, we really just keep going,” Theriot said. “We don’t hang our heads down, we keep fighting. There’s things we still need to work on. Just can’t get too comfortable.”

Riverfield took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning on a two-run double by Hannah Adams. Theriot and Ali Grace Luke tied it for St. Al in the bottom half with RBI singles, and Theriot scored the go-ahead run on an error.

In the fourth, Riverfield pitcher Jordan Nielsen walked three consecutive batters with the bases loaded as the Lady Flashes went ahead 7-2.

“When she was starting to go 2-0, 3-0 on every (batter), I didn’t feel she could come back and throw three straight strikes. She looked tired,” St. Al coach Mike Foley said of Nielsen. “They looked worn down and we looked fresh. This is the third straight game we have played where, at the end of the game, we have looked fresh and they have looked tired.”

Riverfield got a run back in the sixth inning on an RBI triple by Mary Mulhern, but St. Al answered again with three in the bottom half. Maddy McSherry hit an RBI double, and Britton singled in two more runs for a 10-3 lead.

St. Al finished with 12 hits scattered among seven players. Presley Brister was 3-for-3 with two runs scored.
Pitcher Kyleigh Cooper allowed eight hits, but did not walk a batter and struck out nine.

“This was a test game tonight. When we scheduled it, I felt they would give us a good ballgame and it was a good ballgame but it wasn’t close at the end,” Foley said. “It was a decent test tonight. We hit the ball very, very well and we played fundamental softball.”

The Lady Flashes are also playing winning softball, and they’ll try to cap off an undefeated opening week on Saturday when they play the Jackson Victors at home at 12:15 p.m.

“This year, the whole team feels improved with the new coaches and everyone’s put it together. We’re practicing more and harder and it’s paying off,” Britton said.

Cathedral 20, Porter’s Chapel 0
Marlie Hargon went 3-for-3 with two doubles, five RBIs and three runs scored to lead Cathedral past Porter’s Chapel Academy on Thursday.

K.G. Fisher doubled and tripled among her three hits, scored three runs and drove in three more for Cathedral (3-1). Kinslee Young and Hannah Hargon also had two RBIs apiece.

PCA (0-5) did not have a hit in the game. Its only baserunner reached when Kendall Smith was hit by a pitch in the third inning.

About Ernest Bowker

Ernest Bowker is The Vicksburg Post's sports editor. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post's sports staff since 1998, making him one of the longest-tenured reporters in the paper's 140-year history. The New Jersey native is a graduate of LSU. In his career, he has won more than 50 awards from the Mississippi Press Association and Associated Press for his coverage of local sports in Vicksburg.

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