MEADVILLE – In the battle of the Lady Bulldogs softball teams, Natchez High jumped out to a 12-0 lead, lost most of that, and held on for a 19-8 win over Franklin County Tuesday afternoon at Wentworth Park.

&uot;We have got to learn how to hold a lead and continue to build on it,&uot; said Natchez coach Sue Johnson. &uot;It’s like when we get a lead, we get too comfortable.&uot;

Dalisa Lewis allowed five earned runs on 11 hits and two walks and struck out four in six innings to pick up the win.

Natchez jumped out to a 6-0 lead to start the game. Karmethia Mazique hit a lead-off double, Althea Woodley walked and Johanna Farmer singled to bring in Mazique.

Chyrstal Sylvester singled to score Woodley and Farmer and LaToya Patterson’s single scored Sylvester from second. After a Leslie Patrick single, Crystal Brown’s groundout scored Patterson. Patrick scored when Mable Green reached first on an error.

Franklin County (2-8) had a chance to have a big inning of its own with consecutive one-out singles by Brittney Emfinger, Charlsey McGalliard and Tonya Williams.

Christy Day then hit a ground ball to Sylvester, who tagged McGalliard and threw to first to complete the double play.

Natchez (4-1) added four runs in the top of the second inning, led by a solo inside-the-park home run by Tracy Davis and a two-run inside-the-park homer by Sylvester.

&uot;I got that through there,&uot; said Davis about her home run. &uot;I’ll be hitting doubles and triples, but I didn’t know I was hitting this one.&uot;

&uot;I was just relaxed, and I took my time,&uot; Sylvester said. &uot;I was surprised she (Franklin County pitcher Katie Johnson) gave me that pitch. The opportunity and I took it.&uot;

Natchez increased its lead to 12-0 in the top of the third on Crystal Brown’s two-run inside-the-park homer.

Franklin County, however, would not go away quietly.

The home team Lady Bulldogs scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run inside-the-park homer by Williams and an RBI groundout by Morgan Halford and then cut Natchez’s lead to 12-8 with five runs in the bottom of the fifth, led by McGalliard’s two-run single and Day’s RBI double.

&uot;I was really proud of the way they battled back and didn’t quit,&uot; said Franklin County coach Leonide Sullivan. &uot;We’re hitting the ball better than we were. What we need is consistency.&uot;

Natchez finally put the game away with seven runs in the top of the sixth.

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Lewis had an RBI walk with the bases loaded, Sylvester a two-run single, Patterson an RBI double and Amber Smoot had an RBI single.

&uot;After we lost that lead, we battled back,&uot; coach Johnson said. &uot;Just like we’re getting better, every other team’s getting better.&uot;

Natchez hosts Wilkinson County at the Natchez Girls Softball Complex at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

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