Cougars utilize comeback to beat Tigers, extend streak

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September 7, 2012

Cougars utilize comeback to beat Tigers, extend streak

By Rocky Higginbotham / Special to The Star Associated Press Fri Sep 07, 2012, 06:00 AM CDT

MERIDIAN —     Down to its final seven outs and staring at a 5-0 deficit, Newton County sent pinch-hitter Savannah Gates to the plate in the top of the fifth inning of its contest against homestanding Southeast Lauderdale.

   Gates, a junior who didn't start because she's been battling the flu this week, drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk to produce her team's first run. But what could have been a harmless at-bat wound up being the pebble which started a landslide.

   Newton County took advantage of shaky defense by host Southeast, roaring to 15 unanswered runs in a 15-5 victory which stretched the Cougars' winning streak to 58 consecutive games.

   "I really can't say enough about our girls being down and fighting back the way they did," Newton County coach Justin Chaney said after his team improved to 13-0 this season.

   "If Gates doesn't get that walk, I don't know that we win the ball game. They had all the momentum on their side," Chaney said. "But there's just some more examples there of different kids stepping up and doing what it takes to win.

   "Gates knew she couldn't (start) but we had other kids out there who stepped up. She has a big at-bat, and it kinda opened the floodgates and we finally started hitting the ball."

   Southeast, which fell to 11-3, got a three-run homer from Nancy Williams in the third inning to help push an early lead to 5-0 — and it stayed that way until the fifth.

   But the Tigers committed seven errors on the night — four of them in the sixth inning when Newton County scored five more runs to turn a tie ball game into a 10-5 advantage.

   "We've got a good ball team, but we don't know how to win," Southeast coach Mack Fanning said. "We're learning ... we played well for a while but then we made the mistakes that have cost us against the good teams."

   Newton County had four uncharacteristic errors of its own, but also wound up with 14 hits — 11 of them in the final three innings.

   Just a few seconds after Gates' walk made it 5-1, Ashton Lampton plated a pitch over the left-center field wall for a grand slam that tied it at 5-5.

   Shelby Barrett had the big blow in the sixth with a ground-rule double, then Mary Snowden and Shea Alexander delivered back-to-back doubles in a five-run seventh inning for Newton County.

   Snowden finished with three hits, three RBIs and two runs scored; Lampton had two hits and four RBIs; and Latesia Davis and Lindsey Savell both had two hits and two runs scored.

   Alexander scored twice and drove in three, while Barrett, Ashley Gressett, winning pitcher Meagan Higginbotham (12-0) and RoNeisha Brown all had one hit apiece.

   Timara Trussell was 2-for-2 with a double, Williams homered and had three RBIs and Denisha Knight doubled for Southeast. Lauren Yeager, Brianna Roulier, Katie Dawson, Jasmine Bush and Megan Chatham each had one hit while Taylor Powell took the loss.

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