East Marion's and West Marion's softball teams faced off Monday evening for one last tune-up game before the start of district play. Early success at the plate helped the visiting Lady Eagles leap out to an early advantage on the scoreboard, but the Lady Trojans responded quickly to regain control and cruise to a 15-3 win.
The first runs put on the board came in the top of the first, by way of a two-run blast from junior Car'Miyah Bullock to give East Marion an early 2-0 lead. The advantage was short-lived, however, as West Marion piled on eight runs in the bottom of the inning to capture the momentum en route to a double-digit victory through four innings.
West Marion junior Paris Thompson led the charge, hitting three-for-three at the plate with three runs, 4 RBI and a home run. Fellow junior Olivia Miller and eighth-grader Gracie Odom tacked on three runs apiece, both with two hits and 2 RBI on the evening. The Lady Trojans stole seven bases in the contest, led by Miller with a game-high total of three bases stolen. Eighth-grader Izzy Pittman earned the win in the circle for West Marion, lifting her record this season to 4-1 as a starter.
Monday's cross-county matchup followed a tournament appearance in Brookhaven for West Marion on Saturday, during which it earned a 9-2 win over Vicksburg and fell 5-1 to Loyd Star. Thompson enjoyed a lot of success at the plate over the weekend as well, batting three-for-four with three runs and 2 RBI in the Lady Trojans' victory over the Lady Gators. Pittman shined in the pitching circle on Saturday as well, striking out five and allowing only two runs through five innings pitched.
West Marion struggled in Saturday's nightcap, however, stringing together only three hits and earning one run in a defensive struggle against the Lady Hornets. Following West Marion's one and only run from freshman Kirsten Williams in the top of the sixth, Loyd Star tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the inning to cushion its lead and hold on for the win.
The Lady Trojans now hold a 10-3 overall record and will hope to carry Monday's momentum into Thursday's Region 8-3A opener in New Augusta against the Perry Central Lady Bulldogs. For the Lady Eagles, who are now 3-9 on the season, their hope is that a challenging non-district schedule will pay off as they prepare for a trip to Brookhaven on Thursday for their Region 8-2A opener against West Lincoln.
The Columbia Lady Wildcats were also in action Monday night but fell 15-1 to visiting Poplarville to open Region 7-4A play. They will play host to Forrest County AHS Thursday and rival West Marion Friday.
