For both teams, it was preparation for better times to come. One team, however, has a date tonight with destiny.
Wizard Electronics prepared for its championship game tonight with a 19-3, three-inning victory over Dr. Webb’s Back Fixers in the Magnolia Dixie Youth 11-12-year-old fastpitch softball league on Thursday at the Magnolia youth ballfields.
Wizard Electronics will face fellow McComb-based opponent, the Enterprise-Journal in the league championship tonight at 6.
Becca DeLee’s three-run, inside-the-park home run capped an eight-run third inning that gave Wizard Electronics (15-1) the victory and put it into the title game.
“This is a good group of girls,” Wizard Electronics head coach Paige Howell said of his team. “(Magnolia) is just starting to build a program. They have to learn to throw strikes.”
The win was made easier for Wizard by the 10 walks and four hit batsmen off Dr. Webb pitching in the first two innings.
In fact, Wizard Electronics had already built an 11-0 lead before it registered its first base hit — Kristen Henderson’s infield single to lead off the bottom of the third.
Amanda Smith, head coach of Dr. Webb’s Back Fixers, said playing the game is all about her players enjoying themselves.
“As long as they have fun, it’s all worth it,” she said. “We’ve got quite a few kids who have never played fastpitch before. We didn’t have anybody who’s pitched an inning of fastpitch before this year.”
Dr. Webb took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. With two out, Lauren Williams singled, immediately stole second and third base on consecutive pitches and scored on Shakeria Brister’s infield single.
In the bottom half of the frame, however, Wizard took advantage of five walks, three hit batters and a fielding error. Whitley Howell and Cherie Savoie each reached base and scored to make it 2-1.
Jonna Savoie and Hadley Howell each walked. Savoie took third on a wild pitch and scored on another wild pitch.
Hadley Howell tallied another run when Danielle Clark reached on a fielding error. She stole second and came home on two more wild pitches to extend the lead to 5-1.
DeLee walked, stole second and scored on two more wild pitches to make it 6-1.
Dr. Webb pulled to within 6-3 in the second when Callie Snow reached on a fielder’s choice and MyNeka Frazier blooped a single to right field. Both runners came home on wild pitches.
But Wizard pulled away with a five-run second. Whitley Howell walked, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored when Cherie Savoie’s infield pop-up was dropped.
Savioe raced for third on a throwing error and scored on a passed ball to make it 8-3.
Jonna Savoie, Clark and Brooke Wells all walked and scored in the inning to push the lead to 11-3.
Dr. Webb tallied its final run of the game in the top of the third when Ilanna Hickman walked, stole second and came all the way around when the throw to second from the Wizard catcher sailed into center field.
But Wizard sealed the win via the 15-run mercy rule with its eight-run third.
