By Myra Bean

There was some stiff competition in the 10 and under softball division at the North State Tournament last week.

J. P. Hudson Park was the setting for the event which lasted four days. The Batesville 10 and under Rampage team went 2-2 in the tournament.

In Saturday morning’s elimination game against Neshoba County, Rampage had to play without one of its top hitters, Taylor Barton. Barton left the field after the first inning due to the heat.

She had two homeruns and one triple in the previous three games. She had walked and made it to third base before she had to leave the game Saturday morning.

Batesville led 5-1 going into the third inning. Batesville went ahead 8-2 in the third on a two-run double by Kahlena Hentz and one run single by Taylor Haney.

In top of the fourth, Neshoba County scored three runs to cut the lead 8-5 and held Batesville scoreless.

Neshoba continued to eat at the Batesville lead, scoring three more in top of the fifth to tie the score at eight. Batesville got out of a jam and scored two runs when Isabel Cox scored on a one run single by Hentz. Hentz then scored on a passed ball to take a 10-8 lead.

In the sixth inning, Neshoba upped the pressure and scored the maximum five runs on one out to lead for the first time in the game 13-10.

Batesville had to score three runs for the win, but could only get two across the plate before a strikeout for the third and final out. Megan McGee singled and scored on a passed ball and Peyton Pearson walked and scored on a passed ball for the last two scores.

Game one lasted two hours and 10 minutes Thursday afternoon, July 7, as Rampage battled from behind to win 16-15 over the Pontotoc National team.

Pontotoc led 8-0 going into the bottom of the second. Barton hit her first two-run homer in the second to drive home McGee and get the Rampage on the board.

With five more runs in the third, Neshoba went up 13-2 but Batesville scored five runs in the third and five in the fourth to cut the lead 15-12.

In the third, Presley Williams got on base on a walk and scored on a single by Lamm.  Lamm, Cox and McGee all singled and scored on passed balls.

Emy Cay Donaldson’s single scored Hentz for the maximum allowed fifth run in the inning.

In the fourth inning, Batesville just about made its way through the batting order again to score five runs. Haney singled and scored on a Cox one-run single. McGee drove home Hudson who had singled.

Cox scored on a Barton single while McGee scored on a Hentz single. Peyton Pearson drove home Barton from first on a single for the fifth run of the inning.

Rampage held Neshoba scoreless the last two innings and scored the necessary four runs to take the lead and the game.

In the fifth Haney scored the lone run on a single RBI by Hudson.

In the sixth and final inning, Rampage scored the necessary three runs to win by Barton, Hentz and Pearson on RBIs by Stewart, Donaldson and Haney.

In the second game Friday afternoon, Rampage was held to one run in a 10-1 loss to Pontotoc Americans Southern Heat.

Barton tripled in the fourth inning but had to leave the game due to illness. With the bases loaded, Donaldson drew a walk and drove home Hentz who was the courtesy runner for Barton for the lone score.

The Southern Heat went undefeated 4-0 to win the North State championship.

Batesville remained alive in the tournament by shutting out Marshall County 9-0 in the third game Friday night.

Scoring four runs in the first were Hudson on a passed ball. Cox scored on a Barton RBI single. McGee and Barton both scored on passed balls.

Barton hit her second homerun of the series and drove home McGee for the two runs in the third.

In the fourth, Williams, Lamm and McGee scored the three runs, all on passed balls.