[9/10/03]Porters Chapel Academy earned a milestone Tuesday afternoon.

The Lady Eagles scored a pair of unearned runs to take the lead for good in the fourth inning and beat Central Hinds 5-3 on Senior Day at Bazinsky Park.

It was the 17th win of the season for PCA (17-6), matching the school’s record win total set last season. In the second game, three unearned runs led to a 3-2 loss to the Lady Cougars.

PCA coach Kevin Griffin set a team goal before the season of 22 wins, but said reaching that mark is unlikely. He’ll settle for a trip through the South State tournament, however, which begins next Wednesday.

“We’re probably not going to get (to 22 wins) because we canceled a couple of games next week that we’ve already blown out some teams,” Griffin said, adding that a game against Humphreys on Tuesday has been canceled, and a Monday matchup with Pine Hills is up in the air. “Right now the 22 is great if we get there. It’s great if we don’t because we need to be healthy for the South State. I’m kind of glad we’re not playing those games next week.”

Lauren Johnson was 2-for-4 with an RBI triple and two runs scored for PCA, Amy Beaugh was 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI single, and Annie Beaugh added two hits.

Betsy Bryan (7-0) scattered seven hits over seven innings and struck out five to earn the win. Mallory Myers and Brooke Ball each had a pair of singles for Central Hinds (4-11), and Ball also drove in a run.

Ball’s RBI single and a PCA error helped Central Hinds tie the game at 2-2 in the top of the fourth, but the Lady Eagles answered immediately.

Amy Beaugh delivered a one-out double and later scored on a fielder’s choice, when the Central Hinds catcher dropped the ball on a force play. It was the second of two errors in the inning by Central Hinds, and the third of five unearned runs in the game for PCA.

A bases-loaded walk to designated hitter Ashley Johnson put PCA ahead 4-2 before Central Hinds pitcher Megan Sanders got Jessica Massey to hit into an inning-ending double play.

“We seem to always start with one bad inning, and that was it. It comes back and kills us,” Central Hinds coach Chris Perritt said.