Lady Colonels get season’s first win over Parklane
Jordan Jones (9) crosses the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning for the only run Copiah needed to defeat Parklane at home on Wednesday. She had tripled to start the inning, then was driven in when Kamryn Vanlandingham doubled behind her. Kelly Byrd (45) walked up to congratulate Jones. (Crockett Action Shots)
EARLIER ACTION:
Parklane Academy continued to be a thorn in the Copiah Academy Lady Colonels’ side this season as the Lady Pioneers edged CA 4-1 in McComb last week behind lefthander Hannah Moak. Copiah won its 4 other games during the week and improved to 15-2 overall. Both CA losses have come against Parklane.
Prior to the Parklane game, the Lady Colonels blasted Jackson Prep 12-1 in Gallman on Monday. Kaitlyn Taylor (7-1) was the winning pitcher and helped her own cause with a pair of hits, including a double. Other offensive standouts included Jordan Jones, who had 3 doubles and scored a pair of runs; Kelly Byrd, who had a single and double and 2 RBI’s; and Kamryn Vanlandingham, who had a pair of hits, including a double. In addition, Lindsey Walker drove in 4 runs with a pair of sacrifice flies and a single, while Cassidy Brown chipped in with a 2-run single.
Then came Tuesday, and the 4-1 defeat in McComb. CA scored its only run in the top of the fourth when Lindsey Walker singled with one out and scored one out later as Victoria Allen reached on a Lady Pioneer error. Walker also singled with 2 outs in the sixth. Kamryn Vanlandingham had a two-out triple in the third, but was stranded. Meanwhile, Jordan Jones (2-1) was the hard-luck loser after giving up 2 earned runs in the third along with an unearned run in the fourth and sixth innings, respectively.
On Saturday, the Lady Colonels went 3-0 in the Parklane Tournament with wins over Silliman, Leake, and Bowling Green.
Kaitlyn Taylor (8-1) allowed only one hit against Silliman as Copiah beat the Lady Wildcats 4-1 in the first game of the day. CA managed only 3 hits, but one of those was a 2-run inside-the-park HR by Kamryn Vanlandingham, which came after a Kaylie Carpenter single. The other Copiah runs scored on fielder’s choices in the first and second innings, respectively. The only other Copiah hit was Taylor’s leadoff single in the bottom of the third.
In Saturday’s second game, the Lady Colonels knocked Leake Academy from the ranks of the undefeated with a 2-0 win as Kaitlyn Taylor (9-1) blanked the Lady Rebels on 3 hits. Copiah scored its first run in the bottom of the fourth on Kamryn Vanlandingham’s leadoff single, a passed ball, a fielder’s choice, and a wild pitch that scored courtesy runner Shelby Wilson. The second run came in the fifth when Victoria Allen reached on an error, moved to second on a passed ball, and scored on Cassidy Brown’s RBI-single. The only other CA hits were a first-inning single by Kelly Byrd and a 2-out single by Jordan Jones in the fifth.
The Lady Colonels whipped Bowling Green 9-2 in the final game of the day after jumping in front with 8 runs in the bottom of the second. They added a final run in the fourth. Kaitlyn Taylor led the way with a pair of doubles and 2 RBI’s for the winners. Kelly Byrd also had two hits, one of them a double. In addition, Jordan Jones contributed a triple and Shelby Wilson a double to the Copiah attack. Lindsey Walker (2-0) was the winning pitcher.
CA head coach Terry Bauer had words of praise for his pitching staff, which allowed only 6 hits in a 3-game span last Saturday.
