Special to the Reporter

In the opening week of the 2003 season, the Montevallo High School softball squad posted a 3-1 record, knocking off Section 5 foe Jemison in an extra-inning affair and putting up a 2-1 mark in the Mountain Brook Borders War tournament.

Montevallo 3, Jemison 2

(8 innings)

Sophomore pitcher Katie Jones struck out a school-record 14 batters as MHS erased an early 2-0 deficit to win its season opener at home.

The visiting Lady Panthers took advantage of three walks and a throwing error to take a 2-0 lead in the second inning, but it was all

Montevallo from that point on.

Lauren Stephens squeezed home Brittany Farrington with a bunt in the third to cut the Jemison lead to one.

In the bottom of the sixth, Haley Dennis singled and later scored when Amy Boyd’s bunt was mishandled at first base.

The game went to tie breaker rules in the eighth inning, and Boyd slapped a ground ball past the Lady Panthers’ drawn-in infield to score pinch runner Ashley Lightfoot from third with the winning run.

Dennis, Boyd, and Farrington each finished with two hits apiece, while Jones surrendered just three hits to pick up the complete game victory.

Montevallo 12, UMS-Wright 0

The Lady Bulldogs pounded out 13 hits and scored in every inning to win the opening game of the Borders War at Mountain Brook.

Lauren Stephens went 4 for 4 with a home run and three RBI, while Melissa Staffney went 2 for 2 with a homer and five RBI.

Dee Dee Ray also collected three hits in as many trips to the plate.

Katie Jones picked up her second win of the season, giving up one hit, while striking out six and walking one.

Shannon Hall held UMS-Wright hitless in the final two innings, striking out a pair.

Montevallo 5, Ider 2

Facing perhaps its toughest opponent to date, Montevallo banged out seven hits, including three doubles, to knock off Ider and capture first place in pool play.

Senior Amy Pickett went 2 for 3 with a double and two RBI and Dee Dee Ray also picked up two hits in three trips to the plate.

Katie Jones improved to 3-0, holding Ider to three hits and striking out two in five innings on the mound.

Spain Park 5, Montevallo 2

The Lady Bulldogs got their first taste of defeat at the hands of the 6A Lady Jaguars.

MHS committed three errors in the opening four innings as Spain Park jumped out to a 5-0 lead.

The Montevallo bats finally got hot in the final inning, as MHS banged out four hits to score a pair of runs before time ran out on the rally.

Brittany Farrington and Katie Jones led the Lady ‘Dogs offensively with two hits each, while Jones (3-1) took the loss on the mound, giving up eight hits while striking out eight and walking one.

Four of Spain Park’s five runs were unearned.

Following the busy opening five days of the season, the Lady Bulldogs had the rest of last week off after hosting Chelsea on Tuesday.

This week’s schedule had MHS traveling to Thorsby on Monday and playing at West Blocton on Thursday