NATCHEZ &045; Caitlin and Anna Huffines had big games at the plate and Brandi McGraw allowed just five hits as Cathedral defeated Natchez High 11-1 in five innings Thursday afternoon at the Natchez-Adams Girls Softball Complex.

Caitlin Huffines got things going for the Lady Green Wave with a leadoff inside-the-park home run to right-center field off Lady Bulldogs pitcher Cacey Champlin in the bottom of the second inning.

&uot;I had to use a different bat. It felt better,&uot; Huffines said. &uot;I learned it (hitting) from my dad, Danny. We’ve been playing softball since I was in t-ball.&uot;

Caitlin and Anna had big roles in a six-run rally in the bottom of the fifth that ended game via the 10-run rule.

Caitlin hit a two-run single that brought in Mattie Smith and Kalin Kirkwood. Anna reached on what was the third error by the Lady Bulldogs in that frame, which allowed Claire Kenda and Caitlin to score.

&uot;We lost the game, but I’m somewhat pleased with the effort,&uot; Natchez head coach Charlie Williams said. &uot;We’ve got a lot of young players. We have a lot of first-year players.&uot;

Natchez hit the ball well off McGraw to start the game, which was the season-opener for the Lady Bulldogs. Champlin singled, but was thrown out at second on a fielder’s choice by Ke’Airra Jones. Jones scored on a two-out single by Vearlin Thompson for a 1-0 lead.

But after that, McGraw allowed just three hits in the final four innings and the defense behind her committed just one error.

&uot;Brandi’s been pitching a long time,&uot; Cathedral head coach Gary Blackwell said. &uot;She’s a smart pitcher. She can get behind in the count 3-and-0, then she’ll throw a couple of strikes and make you hit defensively.&uot;

After allowing a leadoff single by Kristina Brumfield, Champlin retired the side in order in the bottom of the first. After Caitlin Huffines’ home run, Champlin pitched out of a jam in the bottom of the second.

Then the momentum of the game changed in the bottom of the third. Smith singled and Kirkwood reached on a fielder’s choice, then both runners advanced with no throw.

Kenda appeared to have ended the inning when she flied out to Natchez left fielder Jennifer Jackson. But Jackson was unable to make the catch, allowing Smith and Kenda to score for a 3-1 lead.

Cathedral added two more runs in the bottom of the third as Anna Huffines doubled to score Elizabeth Blackwell and Huffines scored on an error.

&uot;We got off to a slow start,&uot; Blackwell said. &uot;It took us three innings to get us going. This is a better Natchez than we expected.&uot;

Cathedral ended up with 11 hits off Champlin, who allowed five earned runs in four and two-thirds innings.

Brumfield led off the bottom of the fifth with a single and later scored on an error.

Megan Whittington later scored the game’s final run as she walked, went to third on an error and scored when Jennie Allen just beat the throw to first by Lady Bulldogs second baseman Britton Hinson, who was trying to complete what would have been an inning-ending double play.

&uot;They out hit us,&uot; Williams said. &uot;Errors caught up to us. Our entire outfield has little experience. Our left fielder (Jackson) is a 10th-grader. Our left-center fielder (Tori Paxton) is a 10th-grader. Our right fielder (Jones) is a track star. Our right-center fielder (Sara Waldrop) has had a little experience. We’ve only got three players with any experience. But I think we’re going to be OK.&uot;