Vicksburg High’s Cherelle Stamps, right, sneaks her foot onto home plate as Natchez pitcher Honda Griffin tries to make the tag in the first inning of the Missy Gators’ 10-2 win Thursday at Bazinsky Park. (Melanie Duncan ThortisThe Vicksburg Post)

[3/19/04]After a tough first inning, Whitney Smith didn’t allow another run and gave up only three more hits to lead Vicksburg to a 10-2 win over Division 6-5A rival Natchez at Bazinsky Park on Thursday.

“We took this team for granted to start off with,” Vicksburg coach Laquitta Smith said. “But we came back and did an excellent job.”

Natchez pitcher Honda Griffin threw a complete game, striking out eight and holding the Missy Gators to only three hits, but her seven walks and an error-plagued Natchez infield allowed Vicksburg to score nine unearned runs.

Natchez’s Mable Green led off the game with a triple and scored for a 1-0 lead. Another Natchez score gave the visitors a 2-0 lead after the top of the first.

Those were the only two runs Natchez scored, however, as Smith pitched six more shutout innings to earn the win.

Vicksburg tied the game in the bottom of the first with two runs, both of which were unearned, and took the lead in the fourth with two more runs.

The Missy Gators put it away in the fifth with four runs, taking an 8-2 lead.

They had no hits in the inning, but were helped along by two walks and three errors by the Natchez defense, two of which came on bunts.

“The small game is definitely what got us there,” Coach Smith said of the game.

Two more runs on one hit in the sixth inning sealed it for the Missy Gators.

Clinton 5, WC 4

Warren Central lost its third game by one run Thursday afternoon as Clinton scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to earn a non-division victory over the Lady Vikes.

With the score tied at 3, Warren Central scored a run in the top of the eighth inning when Brittany Fuller doubled in Alicia Wright. Prep softball games, when tied after seven innings, use the international rule where each team puts a runner on second base when the inning begins.

In the bottom of the inning, Clinton scored on an error to tie the game 4-4. A bunt single and a line drive hit gave the Lady Arrows the victory.

“We left several runners on base,” said WC coach Lucy Young, whose team will start in the WC Tournament today at 5:45 p.m.