[9/19/01]Eighth-grader Heather Shelby gave the Vicksburg Missy Gators a needed lift.

Shelby smacked a single, double and drove in three runs to lift Vicksburg (7-8) to a 10-3 win over Madison Central (6-14) Tuesday at Halls Ferry Park.

“She played a really good ballgame today,” VHS coach Jennifer Wilkerson said. “It was probably her best of the year.”

Shelby led a 14-hit attack, but the Nos. 1-4 hitters had just three of those hits. LaToya Trunell had a single, triple and two RBIs, while Emily Mathes, Wendy Womble and Shannon Arnold each had two singles.

Four singles, two errors and Shelby’s two-RBI double in the bottom of the fifth broke open a one-run game as VHS took a 10-3 lead.

“We missed a few opportunities, which is common in almost every game,” Madison Central coach Joe Glascoe said. “Vicksburg, though, is hitting the ball a lot harder than they were.”

After taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, the Lady Jags scored one more run in the fifth thanks to a pair of Miss Gators’ errors and a fielder’s choice to cut the deficit to 4-3.

Viola Howard, Dayna Nugent and Kelcey Hudson led off the fifth with back-to-back-to-back singles to open the scoring barrage.

Nugent scattered seven hits only two after the third inning to take the win.

“We needed a win,” Wilkerson said. “We had been struggling on the offensive side and played some close games. This will help the spirit of the team.”

The Missy Gators, who are still clinging to slim hopes of the playoffs, go out of division Thursday at Northwest Rankin.