Published: September 30, 2008 09:27 am      

Newton County/Southeast softball

By Rocky Higginbotham

sports editor

DECATUR — Newton County's softball team has been through a couple of major adjustments this fall, none bigger than the loss of Kasie Buckley — the state's 2008 PopStar Slow-Pitch Player of the Year.

But the Lady Cougars are still the defending Class 3A state champions, and they issued an emphatic reminder of that fact here Monday night.

Newton County erupted for eight runs in the bottom of the first inning and coasted to a 16-6 win over rival Southeast Lauderdale, wrapping up a division crown for the Lady Cougars in the process.

Southeast beat Newton County 13-11 in the teams' first meeting earlier this month. But the Lady Cougars (18-5) haven't lost since.

Monday night, they made it 10 in a row behind a big first inning and a four-RBI performance from Samantha Cooley.

"Early in the year, we had to go through that adjustment period," Newton County coach Justin Chaney said of the injury to Buckley, whose return for the postseason is still up in the air.

"These girls knew they would have to step up. And it's somebody different every night. Samantha Cooley, for example ... she's been struggling but she had three big, big hits tonight."

Newton County — thanks to hits from Summer Alexander, Catherine Brand, Katie Brackeen and Nikki Cumberland — was already up 3-1 when Cooley came to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first inning. She unloaded them, delivering a three-run triple into the right-center field gap to make it 6-1.

Wendy McCracken followed with an RBI single and Alexander later got her second hit of the inning to make it 8-1.

"If they base hit, they base hit. There's not much you can do about it," Southeast coach Mack Fanning said. "We couldn't get them out in the first inning."

In that first, Newton County had seven base hits and took advantage of a couple of walks and a Southeast error. More importantly, the Lady Cougars had all the momentum they needed.

Newton County got three more runs in the second inning and five in the bottom of the fourth to build a 16-3 advantage. That was enough to win the contest in four-and-a-half, rout-shortened innings — despite a mammoth three-run blast over the left-center field wall from Southeast's Brittany Pounders in the top of the fifth.

Cooley finished 3-for-3 with a triple, four RBIs and two runs scored to lead the offensive barrage. Brand had two hits and two runs scored; Alexander had two hits; Brooke Boulton had one hit and two runs; Brackeen singled, doubled and drove in two; Cumberland had one hit and three runs scored; and McCracken scored twice and had two RBIs.

Newton County actually out-hit Southeast just 14-12. But nine of the Lady Tigers' dozen hits came from three players, and Southeast gave NCHS five walks and three errors.

"I thought our defense was good," Chaney said. "(Second baseman) Emily Davis made some big plays. She and (shortstop Nikki) Cumberland were strong up the middle and you've gotta be good in the middle."

For Southeast, Pounders was 3-for-3 with a homer and five RBIs, Paige Sheppard was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and Tiffany Roulier was also 3-for-3. Lainie Simcox added two hits and a pair of runs scored as the Lady Tigers fell to 14-7.

McCracken (17-5) got the pitching win while Erin Conley (12-7) took the loss.

Southeast hosts Heidelberg in a makeup game tonight, while Newton County's next action is Thursday at West Lauderdale.

In all likelihood, the Lady Cougars will entertain North Pike and Southeast will go to Columbia when the Class 3A state playoffs begin next week.