Jimmyia Smith launched the first slow-pitch home run of her prep career, Northeast Lauderdale earned its first regional win of the season and the Lady Trojans will embark on a five-game road trip with momentum.

In all, it was a good night for the Lady Trojans.

Northeast Lauderdale earned a 12-1 run-ruled victory against Quitman Tuesday night at Northeast Lauderdale. Lady Trojans pitcher Jaley Culpepper picked up the win.

“It’s big for us, and it’s big for our confidence,” Northeast Lauderdale coach Tyler Vick said. “We haven’t played very well lately, so it’s nice to get the first one under your belt. It takes a little pressure off.”

Smith’s lead-off, third-inning home run pushed the Lady Trojans ahead 5-1 and set the tone for the rest of the contest. 

“I’ve hit them in fast-pitch, but never slow-pitch,” Smith said of her home run. “I did what the coaches told me to do. They told me to scoot up a little bit, so I scooted up, stayed back, and it went over.”

Tuesday’s game was Northeast Lauderdale’s (2-3) last home game until Sept. 7. Smith, too, said the home victory gives the Lady Trojans momentum as they prepare to hit the road. 

“That was a good boost for our confidence, and we’re really going to jump on it now,” she said. “We’ve been listening to coaches and doing what we’re supposed to do. When we execute, we do well.”

Quitman (3-4) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning, but it wouldn’t hold as Northeast Lauderdale tallied four runs in the bottom of the second, two runs in the bottom of the third and six in the bottom of the fifth. The Lady Panthers committed three errors.

“Too many errors,” Quitman coach Brian Jordan said. “Softball is a simple game. You have to swing the bat, you have to catch the balls hit at you and you have to make throws. If you can do those three things, you can win, and we didn’t do that tonight.”

Despite Tuesday’s final score, Jordan said he was impressed by starting pitcher Brooke Roberts.

“I thought my pitcher turned the corner tonight; she’s kind of been struggling a little bit the first part of the season,” Jordan said. “She was able to throw strikes early and get ahead in the count. I thought she did well with that.”

Quitman will attempt to rebound Saturday when it faces Newton and Clarkdale in tournament play.

“We’re a really young team, but we have to mature in a hurry because we have to compete,” Jordan said.

The Lady Trojans travel to Southeast Lauderdale Thursday.

“We tend to hit it a little better away,” Vick said. “So maybe we’ll come out swinging away.”