By By ROBERT BLANKENSHIP
Advance Managing Editor
The Escambia County Lady Blue Devils are heading down the final stretch of the 2001 season and in their final home game of the season they were perfect, shutting down B.C. Rain, 14-0.
Once again, Melissa Jones sparkled on the mound for the Lady Devils as she earned the victory. She surrendered no runs and hurled 11 strikeouts in five-innings of work.
The Lady Devil offense scored at least one run in the second, third and fourth innings. The game was called after Rain's at-bat in the fifth due to the 10-run rule.
Things got started offensively for the Lady Devils in the bottom of the second inning.
Cassie Lassiter led off the inning with a line-drive double. A single by Katie Lambert set the Lady Devils up with runners at first and second. Lassiter stole third base. Leslie Presley got an RBI and reached base on an error by the Rain infield. Lambert made the score 2-0 after scoring on a wild pitch. Hannah Rigsby kept things going by stretching a double into a triple and bringing home another run. She scored on a single by Natasha Porter. Porter stole second and the next batter, Riley Hope, earned a walk. Jones helped herself with an RBI single up the middle. With runners at the corners and two outs, Lassiter came through with a clutch double to score both runners. She was tagged for the final out when she attempted to stretch the hit into a triple.
Jones kept the Rain batters at bay as she struck out two of three in the top of the third.
The Lady Devils got help from the Rain defense in the bottom of the third. A walk to Lambert started the inning and back-to-back singles by Shanna McMillan and Leslie Presley gave ECHS an 8-0 lead with runners at first and second. With one out, Rigsby hit a single to load the bases. An error on a fly ball allowed McMillan to score and then another error in the infield led to two more runners crossing home for the Lady Devils. A fly ball hit by Jones led to another error by Rain and two more runners scored, making the score 13-0.
The Lady Devils got one more in the bottom of the fourth as Crystal Rolin nailed a single, driving in Gia Rodriquez who had reached on a walk.
Jones did the rest as she came out and struck out the side in the top of the fifth.