NATCHEZ &045; Barry Jackson, being the old softy that he is, felt moved to show his appreciation to his senior players before the season began.

The Tara High School head softball coach figured out the best way to express his gratitude was to hunt down an out-of-state tournament.

A scroll through a Mississippi softball Web site led him to some high school phone numbers, one of those being Natchez High School.

A quick call to Bulldogs head coach Leigh Ann Mason for some assistance on available tournaments led to an agreement for the Trojans to visit Natchez for a game.

And so it was Saturday, as Tara &045; a Class 5A team from Baton Rouge &045; drove 90 miles and collected an 18-2, five-inning victory at the expense of the Bulldogs.

&uot;I’m gonna try to schedule more with (Tara) for sure,&uot; said Mason, who added she’d enjoy organizing games against new opponents. &uot;(Jackson) called out of the blue. It’s fun to have people we’re not used to. They were super to play against and work with.

&uot;They’re a well-coached, very disciplined team. That’s the type of program where we want to be at in the next couple of years with the developing of our team.&uot;

Although, it was hard to say the result mattered. Mason continued to be frustrated with her team’s meltdowns over an inning, which usually ends up costing them the contest.

The Trojans put an eight-spot on the board in the fourth, sending 11 batters to the plate and collecting six hits.

The Bulldogs (2-5) helped Tara out with a pair of errors during the carousel, which ultimately led to runs.

The big blows came on 2-RBI hits from Elizabeth Franklin and Courtney Kling.

Franklin, who led off the inning, collected her second single during the fourth, this time scoring Katie Vicari and Karen Trice to put the Trojans ahead 10-2.

&uot;Our assistant coach is always telling our players hitting is contagious,&uot; Jackson said. &uot;It was good to see the bats come alive.&uot;

Kling followed Franklin by tattooing the second pitch she saw into deep right field to plate Jennifer Mayo and Franklin.

As Kling approached third for a standup triple, Jackson continued to wave her home. However, a nice relay throw from Natchez shortstop Mable Green to catcher Cacey Champlin retired Kling and the side.

But a 12-2 lead was plenty of run support for Tara starter Stephanie Kilgore, who limited the Bulldogs to three hits over five innings and striking out seven batters.