By By BRUCE HIXON Sports Editor
If there is an invisible safety net for the Jefferson Davis Community College Lady Warhawks softball team, it is the number two.
In games the Lady Warhawks have allowed two runs or less, they are 12-3. In games they have allowed more than two runs, they are 0-20.
JDCC contributed to both of those totals Saturday, as it split a doubleheader with the visiting L.B. Wallace Lady Saints. L.B. Wallace dealt the Lady Warhawks their seventh shutout loss of the season in the opener 3-0 before JDCC rebounded for a 4-2 win in the nightcap.
JDCC had no clue for Lady Saints pitcher Kim Clugh in the opener both at the plate and on the mound.
Klugh allowed only three hits and struck out 11. JDCC only hit two balls out of the infield. Just as important was Klugh's pitching contribution was her hitting. With the game scoreless in the top of the sixth inning, Klugh followed up a walk to Alicia Carter with a two-run homer over the leftfield wall off JDCC pitcher Nikki Madden.
L.B. Wallace was not done there. A single by Rebecca Burdich, two groundouts and an infield RBI single by Ashley Turner made it 3-0.
Madden allowed just two other hits and struck out eight, but suffered the loss.
JDCC's only serious threat came in the third inning. The Lady Warhawks loaded the bases with just one out on singles by Kristen Phillips, Kelly Stewart and Makeyia Burt, but a strikeout and popup ended the threat. JDCC did not have another hit.
In game two, JDCC had to come back from a 2-0 advantage L.B. Wallace built in the top of the third inning.
The Lady Warhawks got one of those runs back in the bottom of the third inning. Carleen Clark walked, moved up a base on Stacy Sanders' sacrifice and scored when Lakyn Newton's infield grounder was misplayed.
JDCC erased the rest of its deficit and took the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Jessica Cunningham and Burt both singled. Nichole Young then ripped a ball into the right-centerfield gap that allowed her to circle the bases for a three-run, inside-the park homerun.
"That was a great hit by Nichole. She usually doesn't hit to the opposite field," JDCC coach Misti Nims said.
Newton went the first five innings for the win before Madden hurled two scoreless and hitless innings for the save.
JDCC has a pair of ACCC road dates later in the week, as it travels to Bishop State Thursday and to Enterprise Friday. Both dates are doubleheaders and both start at 1 p.m.
Game one
L.B. Wallace 000 003 0 – 3 5 0
JDCC 000 000 0 – 0 3 2
Game two
L.B. Wallace 002 000 0 – 2 6 1
JDCC 001 300 X – 4 6 3
Wallace-Dothan sweeps JDCC
JDCC joined a long list of clubs to get derailed by Wallace State-Dothan Monday, as it dropped both ends of a doubleheader in Brewton by scores of 3-0 in the opener and 4-2 in the nightcap.
Wallace State-Dothan, ranked eighth in the country, improved to 35-2 overall and an Alabama Community College Conference best 16-0 with the sweep.
The key to Dothan's success was sophomore lefthander Blair Porter, who has signed to play next spring at Alabama. Porter set down 31 of the 32 batters she faced, 22 of them by strikeouts.
"Porter is a phenomenal pitcher. That is why she is headed to Alabama next year. She kept us off balance the entire day," JDCC coach Misti Nims said.
Porter, who struck out 14 in game one, came within two outs of a perfect game in the opener until Nichole Young blooped a single into short centerfield in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Lady Warhawks hurler Nikki Madden threw a solid game of her own in game one, but was nicked for single runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings.
In game two, Wallace State-Dothan got all the offense it needed when two JDCC errors led to three unearned runs in the top of the second inning.
The Lady Warhawks (5-5 in the ACCC and 12-23 overall) rallied in the fourth inning when Carleen Clark walked and Lakyn Newton singled to set up an RBI double by Stacy Sanders that made it 3-1. After Kristen Phillips walked and Ashley Ross popped up, Kelly Stewart
See JDCC Page 8A
hit an RBI groundout that scored Newton cut the visitors' lead to just 3-2. It also chased Dothan pitcher Janura Santiago.
Enter Porter, who immediately slammed the door shut. Porter retired the final 10 JDCC hitters, which included a string of eight straight strikeouts.
"We competed pretty well, but it's tough when you know going in that you have almost no margin for error. We made a few mistakes, but they were enough to beat us," Nims said.
Game one
Wallace-Dothan 001 011 0 – 3 8 0
JDCC 000 000 0 – 0 1 1
Game two
Wallace-Dothan 030 010 0 – 4 10 0
JDCC 000 200 0 – 2 4 3