CHOCTAW — The Choctaw Central Lady Warriors will have to wait a bit longer to christen their new softball field with a win.

Newton County’s triumvirate of Katelyn Gipson, Brittany Thomas and Loren Ivey powered a seventh-inning offensive barrage that sealed a 9-3 road win and played spoiler on a night when Choctaw Central debuted its new home field.

“I told our girls we need to treat this kind of like a playoff because (there’s) a lot of anticipation toward their new stadium and everything,” Newton County coach Justin Chaney said. “I thought we played well. I was very proud.”

If the Lady Cougars harbored any pre-game anxiety due to the field dedication and amplified atmosphere, they hid it well.

Eight Newton County (10-4-1) batters logged hits, with Ivey pacing the group. She went 2-for-4 with three runs and two RBIs. Her second hit of the game came in the seventh inning and resulted in the softball sailing over the center-field wall for a two-run homer. 

Gipson contributed two runs and two RBIs, and Thomas spun a gem of a pitching performance, as she allowed just three hits and two earned runs. 

“Brittany pitched the ball really well,” Chaney said. “We got key, two-out hits at the right times, so that helped.”

Choctaw Central’s Tyra Billy tallied a team-high two RBIs with a single in the bottom of the seventh. Billy, Maiya Joe and Darien Tubby logged the Lady Warriors’ three hits.

The Lady Warriors will get another chance to nab their first win in their new digs when Kemper County visits on April 9.

“I think we have a lot of potential, but right now we’re just not playing really well,” Choctaw Central coach Aaron Terrell said. “We do have some kids that have only been playing about two weeks — we’re trying to get back into the swing of things. But we just have to try to put things together right now… We’re not playing as well as we probably should.”

Lizzy Hollingsworth ripped an RBI single in the top of the fourth that scored Ivey and gave Newton County a 1-0 lead. In the top of the sixth, Shelby Anderson scored on a pitching error to extend her team’s lead to 2-0. Thomas sent Gipson home with a sacrifice fly in the following at-bat, and Landree Amis singled in Ivey to extend the Lady Cougars’ lead to 4-0.

Taelor York added Choctaw Central’s first run in the bottom of the sixth following a Newton County fielding error.

In the top of the seventh, Gipson contributed an RBI single, Thomas a two-RBI single and Ivey’s two-run shot rounded out Newton County’s scoring.

An RBI single in the bottom of the seventh from York provided Choctaw Central’s last run. The Lady Warriors moved to 2-7 on the season. 

“Right now, we’re just trying to work together and just get ready for district games,” Choctaw Central’s Darien Tubby said. “We need to see who can play where. We’re just juggling, really, and I think we’ll be all right at the end if we just continue to work together and work hard.”

Prior to first pitch — thrown out by Chief Phyliss J. Anderson of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians —  fans and members of the community gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and field dedication. Maroon-and-white balloons floated from the top of the new shiny aluminum bleachers. A home and away dugout, concession stand and press box shimmered underneath the blue sky backdrop with a fresh coat of maroon-and-white paint. 

Sam Foreman has attended Choctaw Central softball games for the last 14 years both as a spectator and a coach. Thursday afternoon, he sported a black-and-maroon Choctaw Central T-shirt and clutched a copy of his 2018 Choctaw Central poster schedule as he made his away around the Lady Warriors’ new home.

“I give credit to the chief and her staff,” Foreman said. “They basically pulled the thing together and pulled it off. She’s a team player. The whole facility is wonderful. It’s moved Choctaw softball out of the dark ages into the modern era.”

Up next: Newton County travels to Laurel to play in the South Jones Tournament on Saturday. Choctaw Central heads to Forest on Friday.