Demopolis JV takes second in weekend tourney

In Game One Friday night, the Lady Tigers were plagued by cold bats and defensive miscues against Fultondale in a 14-2 loss.

Sophomore Sydney Lindsey blasted a double to left-center in the bottom of the first to score seventh graders Abby Grace Cameron (2-for-2) and Lizzie Cannon (0-for-1, walk).

For the rest of the game, April Schroeder (0-for-1, walk) and Catie Lawrence (1-for-2, single) would be Demopolis’ only other baserunners.

Eighth grader Dani Shepherd got the start in the circle and took the loss. Seventh grader Tayler Pipkins came in for two innings in relief.

The Game One loss turned out to be the tuneup the junior Tigers needed as Demopolis faired much better in Game Two Friday, riding a strong pitching performance from Cannon – who was backed by an iron clad defense – to a 3-2 win over host team Northside.

Lindsey (2-for-2) again accounted for the Lady Tigers’ run production, driving a 0-1 pitch over the right-center fence that also scored seventh grader Marianna Pearson (0-for-3, walk) in the first.

Lindsey, in the third, pushed Cameron (0-for-2, walk) home with a single.

Cannon got the complete game win, aided by a defensive effort that helped spread only 59 pitches across 6 innings.

The Lady Tigers’ first game Saturday looked familiar in a couple ways. First, it was a rematch with Fultondale. Second, a sluggish start put Demopolis in a 7-run hole.

The early Demopolis run came off the bat of Wessie Jacobs (2-for-4) whose two-out single scored Cannon (3-for-4), who reached on a double.

But in their final at-bat in the sixth, the girls exploded for 8 runs to take the 9-8 win.

Schroeder (1-for-4) started the rally with a leadoff single and it quickly snowballed from there. Zanadia Wright (2-for-3) followed with a single and Aerial Irby (0-for-2) walked. The next five batters – Samia Jackson (1-for-1), Cannon, Cameron (4-for-4), Lindsey (2-for-3) and Jacobs – each singled. After 12 batters filed through the batter’s box, Jackson, Cannon, Cameron, Lindsey, Jacobs, Schroeder, Wright and Irby all crossed homeplate.

Three pitchers went to work in the game. Pipkins got the start before giving way to Shepherd in the fifth.

Cannon came in for one inning of relief in the sixth but got the win as the Demopolis bats came alive after she sat down the only three batters she faced, two of them by strikeout.

In the Tigers’ fourth game, the Lady Tigers struggled against Gardendale’s hard-throwing pitcher, mustering only three hits in the game.

Cameron (1-for-3, single), Jacobs (1-for-3, double) and Jackson (1-for-3, single) were the only three Demopolis girls to reach base.

Meanwhile, the Lady Rockets blasted two homeruns for 3 runs scored in the game.

Cannon took the loss in the circle. Shepherd came in for one inning relief.

Despite the earlier loss to the Lady Rockets, Demopolis earned a berth in the championship game and a re-match with Gardendale.

Unfortunately, the Lady Tigers didn’t fare any better with Schroeder (1-for-2, single) and Lawrence (0-for-1, fielder’s choice) being the only two to find their way on the basepath.

Pipkins took the loss. Cannon came in for three innings in relief, tossing one strikeout.