Demopolis falls to Class 7A Baker, bounces back against Washington County

Demopolis (8-1) suffered its first loss of the season Friday with a narrow defeat at the hands of Class 7A power Baker before bouncing back with a rout of Washington County.

The Tigers opened the afternoon with a 6-5 loss in a back-and-forth struggle with Baker in the Jan Overstreet Tournament in Thomasville. Baker (7-1) scored two runs in the top of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead and end the seven-game shutout streak Demopolis pitched to start the season.

The Tigers remained scoreless until the bottom of the third when they hung four on the board with two outs. Bria Brown singled home Anna Katherine Aldridge and Courtney Smith to tie the game 2-2. Kayla Montz followed with a single to plate Abbey Latham and put Demopolis on top 3-2. Kendall Hannah then doubled in Brown for the 4-2 advantage.

The Hornets battled back in the top of the fifth with a pair of runs to tie it 4-4 before adding two more in the top of the sixth for the 6-4 lead.

Demopolis rallied in its last at-bat in the bottom of the sixth to try and tie it. Hannah led off with a single. Two batters later, Taylor Smith singled with two away to put runners on the corners. Courtney Smith followed with a single to score Hannah and cut it to 6-5. The Tigers were unable to keep the rally going en route to their first loss of the season.

The Tigers showed little signs of hangover from the loss, shredding Washington County 8-0 in the nightcap. Bria Brown hit into a fielder’s choice to score Elly Brown in the first inning and put the Tigers up 1-0. The score remained there until Demopolis embarked upon a seven-run rally in the bottom of the third. Bria Brown doubled home Abbey Latham to move it to 2-0. Bria Brown then scored on a wild pitch to move it to 3-0. Lane Braeden Burbage singled in Hannah and Montz to make it 5-0. Courtney Smith later singled in Aldridge and Burbage for the 7-0 lead. Elly Brown scored on an error for the eighth Demopolis run of the contest.

Hannah was nothing short of dominant in the circle, striking out 14 WCHS batters over five innings of work while surrendering just one hit.

Demopolis is set to resume tournament play Saturday.