By Angie Ledbetter

The South Panola Lady Tiger’s fastpitch team was on an uphill climb last week winning all three games. They defeated St. Benedict in Memphis 14-2 on Thursday, Southaven 5-4 Friday and Cleveland 11-0 Saturday.

Head Coach Ashleigh Hicks said the team has grown up a lot.

“I think the Horn Lake game the first of last week got us over the hump that we needed. That game gave us a little positive then we went to St. Benedict and we started pulling the trigger. They have a good pitcher and we had 16 hits.”

Hicks is no longer using the “young” factor for the team.

“We matured a lot in the Southaven game,” she said. “We’re about to rise like we’re doing. We’re getting better and better.”

The two pitchers for the varsity team, eighth grader Nicole Fullilove and sophomore Tory Helton are complimenting each other, according to Hicks.

“They back each other up. That’s a big part.

“We’ve been focusing on everybody staying up no matter what the score is and no matter what happens you stay positive,” she added. “I told them in the Southaven game not to look at the scoreboard.”

In the St. Benedict game Amanda Ivy hit a homerun in the top of the third. Ivy scored three runs, Helton two, Christa Brown three, Diamond Browning three, Caroline Dickin, Lauren Calvert and Madison Taylor, one each. Meri Morgan Fortune had four RBIs (runs batted in). Brown and Helton had two RBIs each. The Lady Tigers had 17 hits, 12 earned runs, four errors and left seven on base.

South Panola and Southaven battled to the last inning Friday night. The Lady Tigers were down 3-2 going into the sixth.

They scored three runs in the sixth taking a 5-3 lead over the Lady Chargers. With two outs and the bases loaded, first baseman Lauren Calvert hit a base-clearing double to center field driving home Helton, Dickins and Lindsey Calvert.

The Lady Chargers added another run in the top of the seventh. With two outs, Fullilove retired the last batter to seal the victory.

The Lady Tigers had eight hits, five errors and left four on base. Ivy hit two doubles. Helton hit a double and two singles. Lauren Calvert hit a double and Lindsey Calvert hit a single.

Picking up RBIs were Ivy and Helton, one each and Lauren Calvert, three. 

Helton and Fullilove shared the mound. Helton had 66 pitches and Fullilove had 58. The Lady Chargers had five hits, one error and left nine on base.

On Saturday the Lady Tigers played in the Grenada tournament. Due to weather they only played one game defeating Cleveland, 11-0.

They had nine earned runs, 14 hits and left four on base. Ivy, Helton and Lindsey Calvert had two RBIs each. Brown and Dickins had one RBI each.

Scoring runs were Dickins, Taylor Browning and Brown two each; Fullilove, Lindsey Calvert, Ivy, Fortunee and Lauren Calvert, one each.

Fullilove picked up the win for the Lady Tigers throwing 71 pitches with six strike outs and one walk.

Cleveland had two hits, left four on base and four errors.

The Lady Tigers were on the road to Lake Cormorant last night and will travel to Starkville Thursday.