By Brad Greer

It is a pretty safe bet to say that Magnolia Heights has had enough of North Delta on the softball diamond this year as the two teams met for the fourth time. Just like the previous three meetings, it was the Green Wave coming out victorious 3-2 Monday afternoon.

Samantha Massoth pitched 3.1 innings of scoreless relief as North Delta managed only four hits while overcoming  four errors to improve their record to 7-5 on the season. The Chiefs fell to 11-4.

Magnolia Heights defeated the Lady Wave 6-3 in Senatobia the first week of the season only to have North Delta win the next two meetings by the identical scores of 3-1 four days later in the Kirk tournament.

Lauren Kimzey’s two-out bloop single  scoring Bradi Beard from second base in the bottom of the fourth proved to be  the game-winning hit. Beard led off the inning by striking out swinging but reached first as the ball got past the catcher.

Following Linsey Hebert’s sacrifice bunt that advanced Beard to second, Mary Jane Morrow then flied out to left for the second out. Kimzey then slapped a 1-1 Jordan Alliston offering over the out stretched glove of Kimberly Austin into right field.

Erratically, Magnolia Heights took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on a two-out error by Kimzey that allowed Andrea Steward to score from third. Rian O’Bannon drew a lead off walk to start the inning. Two batters later, Steward drilled a RBI double off of starting pitcher Morrow.

North Delta  then in turn took advantage of two-out error to  knot the score at 2-2 in the bottom half of the frame. Morrow led off with one of her two singles in the game to start the inning.

After a sacifice bunt and a strike out, Vicki Johnson drew a walk to keep the inning alive. Lacy Dubravec then grounded to Leila Savage, but her throw sailed over the first basemen’s head as Morrow and Johnson raced home.

The rest of the day belonged to Massoth as the lefty gave up one hit while striking out two batters to run her record to 3-2 on the year. Morrow started the game and pitched 2.2 innings, giving up one earned run on three hits while fanning a batter and walking two.

Morrow’s two singles led the Wave at the plate while Dubravec and Kimzey also singled. Each team stranded four runners on the base paths.

North Delta returns to district play Tuesday at West Memphis, (Ark.) at 5 p.m. before returning home September 1 against Delta with a varsity game beginning at 4 p.m.