The Picayune Lady Maroon Tide handily defeated the Hattiesburg Lady Tigers 14-0 Thursday to pick up an important district win.

The game ended after four innings due to a run rule that automatically stops a contest if a team is leading by 12 or more runs after four innings.

Picayune’s offense was on fire Thursday with Kallie Hunt and Skylar Timmons leading the way.

Hunt had a single, triple and two RBIs while Timmons had two singles and two RBIs.
The Lady Maroon Tide has struggled being clinical at the plate with runners in scoring position this year, but that wasn’t an issue against Hattiesburg.

“I thought they came out ready to play, ready to win. We put up five runs in the first inning. It’s good to (score) in the first inning because I like to punch teams in the nose early. It gives you a little confidence. We did better with getting hits with runners on. That’s one thing we’ve been struggling with all year has been to get runners across,” Head Coach Courtney Dickens said.

Kylie Burnette took the mound for Picayune and went the full four innings while striking out three.

Her dominance on the mound was part of a good all-around performance for Picayune that has Dickens hoping for more wins this season.

“I think we’re playing the best we’ve played all season right now which is a good thing and I think the kids kind of see that. It makes practices better when they feel like they’re playing for something and they feel like they have a shot at winning,” Dickens said.

Intensity is starting to ramp up for the Lady Maroon Tide with only a few district opponents left on the schedule.

Dickens has relied on several freshmen this year, but she doesn’t believe the youngsters will be affected by the pressure going into these upcoming must-win district games.

“It obviously always helps to have kids who have been in the playoffs before. For our freshmen, to be honest, I don’t think going into the playoffs will make them bat an eye. I think my freshmen class, they’re tough. They’ve played in pressure situations before,” Dickens said.