Booneville, Miss. – Yasmeen Cooper provided the offensive spark that the Northeast Mississippi Community College softball team had sought all afternoon on Saturday.

Cooper recorded two key extra base hits that led to Tiger runs in the initial victory of the 2014 campaign for Northeast, a 5-1 decision over Gadsden State (Ala.) Community College in the final game of the day at the TigerFest Tournament.

After scoring just three runs in their previous 12 innings, Cooper led off the bottom of the first with a double to set the tone for the nightcap in Booneville City Park.

Trenisha King brought Cooper home two batters later with a double of her own to put the Tigers in front 1-0.

Northeast opened the flood games in the fifth. Whittney Gee reached on an error while bunting to start the frame and advanced one base on a beautiful bunt single by Shannon Goode.

Cooper then put the Tigers (1-6) ahead 2-0 with a double in the gap. Gee scored on the liner and Goode hustled over to third.

"I was thinking if we had runners in scoring position we had to get them in," said Cooper. "I was excited. The runners on base were really pushing hard so you have to give credit to them too."

Haleigh Moffett brought Goode in two pitches later with a RBI single to right field. Bianca Chagolla then gave Northeast a 4-0 advantage with a sacrifice fly that scored Cooper.

Marla Rudd, a pinch runner for Moffett, capped the inning when she touched home plate on a Bre Agnew single. The Tigers sent eight batters to the plate in the frame and led 5-0 entering the sixth.

"We jumped out and hit the ball hard," said Northeast coach Jody Long. "The bunts made things happen and that's what it's going to take out of this young group."

Gadsden State got just two runners on off Tiger starter Chelsea Buntin through five innings. Buntin had three innings in that stretch in which she faced the minimum amount of batters.

The Cardinals tried to put together a rally in the sixth and scored one on a Hannah McCreless RBI single, but Abigail Rish relieved Buntin and got the final out to secure the time-limit shortened victory for Northeast.

Buntin (1-2) got the win in the circle after giving up just three hits in 5.2 innings of work. She walked one and struck out three.

Bethany Chamblee took the complete game loss for Gadsden State (6-4) with eight hits allowed.

John A. Logan 3, Northeast 2 (5 Inn.)

The Tigers started the full day of softball by outhitting John A. Logan (Ill.) College 10-4, but could not come up with the clutch base knock until the fifth.

Gee led off that inning with a single and then stole second base. Agnew, who was pinch hitting, brought her home with a double in the centerfield gap to cut Northeast's deficit to 3-1.

Chagolla's second hit of the contest made it 3-2, but a fly ball ended the frame and cut the rally by the Tigers just short.

King (0-1) got the nod for the first start of her collegiate career. The Tuscumbia, Ala., product worked around trouble to give up three runs, all earned, and four hits with five strikeouts.

The Volunteers (1-0) scored a solo run in each of their initial three times at bat. Sara Kroeger, Tiffany Gaimari and Kelsey Robinson each had RBI hits in that span with Robinson's proving to be the game-winner in the third.

Calhoun 3, Northeast 1

Following a near six-hour wait between matchups, Chagolla entered the circle as the Tigers returned to action in their annual event against Calhoun (Ala.) Community College.

The sophomore from Riverside, Calif., gave up one run through the opening five frames to give Northeast a chance.

King took advantage in the fourth with a shot into centerfield that plated Cooper and knotted the game at 1-1.

However, the Warhawks (8-4) added runs in the sixth and seventh innings, respectively, to push ahead. Makala Nolen had a RBI single and Mariah Cantrell scored on an error to account for the contest's final two scores.

Chagolla (0-3) tallied another brilliant pitching performance, but was tagged with the loss after giving up seven hits and striking out four.

Hannah Dildine (1-0) recorded the complete game victory for Calhoun with four strikeouts and four hits conceded.

The Tigers improved their defense and cut down on recent mistakes in the tripleheader on day one of the TigerFest with some nice plays, including a running catch into the left field fence by Gee versus the Warhawks.

Cooper, a Houston native, and King both notched five hits in the full day of competition. Chagolla and Moffett followed with three apiece.