By KELLY FENTON
Leader sports editor
Taylor Norsworthy belted a two-out, two-strike home run in the bottom of the seventh inning and the Jacksonville Lady Red Devils escaped with a critical conference split with West Memphis on Friday at Dupree Park.
The Lady Blue Devils had just rallied from four runs down to tie the game at five before the two-run shot by Norsworthy, back for the first time since an injury last month, gave Jacksonville a 7-5 win.
With a 4-0 loss in the opener, the Lady Red Devils are now 3-2 in 6A-East Conference play.
Jessica Lanier struck out five and allowed sevenhits to pick up the win in Game 2. Lanier also picked up two hits and an RBI in the contest. Paula Burr, Jennifer Bock and Norsworthy each had two hits for the Lady Red Devils as well, as Jacksonville totaled eight hits. Burr tripled twice and drove in two runs.
West Memphis, trailing 5-1 in the last inning, was down to its final out before exploding for four straight hits to tie the game.
Lanier pitched well in the opener, allowing only six hits and one earned run while striking out five. But West Memphis hurler Shelby Jo Fenter struck out eight and allowed just four hits — two to Lanier, and one each to Bock and Norsworthy.
On Monday evening, Jackson-ville improved to 5-3 overall with a 5-1 non-conference win over Arkansas Baptist.
The Lady Eagles took a 1-0 lead after one, and that remained the score until the Lady Devils batted around in the fourth when they scored all five of their runs.
