West Lauderdale woke up just late enough in Game 2 of its MHSAA Class 4A first-round series to win Game 3 and advance.

    The Knights, who were coming off a 7-2 win at Vancleave on Saturday, struggled offensively in a 3-2 loss Monday at the Richard May Complex. However, West’s late rally provided the spark for the 10-1 win in Game 3 that followed and sent the Knights into the second round against North Pike. The series begins Friday in Collinsville.

    “Those hits carried over,” West coach Cary Luke said. “We were able to score three runs in the first and put some pressure on them.

    “I told them we just had to hit better and just take a better approach at the plate. We were falling behind and taking too many strikes.”

    After those three early runs in the third and decisive game, West answered the lone tally by Vancleave in the fourth with four more in the fifth and three in the sixth to cruise.

    Kaitlyn Polk allowed just four hits as she improved to 12-2.

    West was led by Mallory Turner’s four hits and three runs, and Joanna Stewart’s two hits and two RBIs. Paige Davis added two hits and three runs, while Polk doubled.

    “If we had played that way in Game 2, we wouldn’t have even had to worry about that last one,” Luke said. “But the big thing is, we survived and moved on.”

    West had to survive because it struggled against Ashlee Champagne in Monday’s first game. Allowing eight hits, Champagne routinely worked out of trouble. The Knights stranded 11 runners, including the bases loaded in the third and two in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings.

    In the third, West’s first two hitters were retired before Turner reached on a bunt single. After Davis followed with a single up the middle, Haleigh Moffett drew a walk to load the bases. However, Champagne got Sarah Lolley to pop out to second base to end the threat. An inning later, CC Lawn singled and Tabetha Deavers walked before Champagne was able to get the next two outs.

    Still, Stewart matched Champagne pitch for pitch. She allowed nine hits, but the Bulldogs were only able to reach her for three runs in the sixth, and that came with the help of some defensive breakdowns.

    Following a leadoff single by Gabby Nelson, Emily Dawson singled with one out to give the Bulldogs a runner in scoring position for just the second time all game. Champagne then followed with an RBI single that tied it. While Cherokee Strickland reached on a West error, the Knights were able to get Champagne off of second on the play.

    However, the Bulldogs then took the lead on a double steal as Strickland got in a rundown long enough for Dawson to score ahead of the throw home. That also allowed Strickland to trot into second safely where she then scored onCrystal Moore’s single.

    Vancleave’s rally followed West taking a 1-0 lead in the fifth. There Turner walked to open the inning and after moving to second on Davis’ groundout, Lolley produced a two-out single to give the Knights the short-lived lead.

    Two innings later, West again finally got the offense untracked. Moffett doubled to left field with one out to spark the rally and after Lolley grounded out, Stewart doubled to pull West within one. The Bulldogs then walked Lawn before Champagne struck out Deavers to end it.

    “We just couldn’t get the big hit,” Luke said. “We’d get a couple runners on with two outs and couldn’t find a way to score.

    “We just never were able to put any pressure on them until there were two outs it seemed like.”