Dual no-hitters highlight Demopolis area tourney win

Demopolis (22-12) won the Class 5A, Area 6 tournament Wednesday, skunking Dallas County in a pair of games during the double-elimination bracket.

Pitching set the tone for the Lady Tigers, who did not surrender a hit on the day. Natalie Tatum tossed five innings of no-hit softball in the first game, striking out eight Dallas County batters en route to the 12-0 win. Tatum issued one walk and saw a batter reach on an error.

Kayla Montz repeated the feat in the second contest, throwing a perfect game while striking out nine batters on the way to a 10-0 win. The closest Dallas County came to a hit in either game was the leadoff batter in the fourth inning who laced a shot that appeared destined for right field. Second baseman Elly Brown dove toward the first base bag to field the ball and made an underhanded flip to first baseman Bria Brown to record the out and preserve Montz’s perfection.

“Our pitchers are doing their job and spinning the ball well,” Demopolis coach Brittany Dunson said. “They’re hitting their spots, which is great. They’re doing what they practice for.”

Demopolis got the bats going early in the first game as Abbey Latham stroked a 2-run homer to score herself and Courtney Smith for the 2-0 lead. Demopolis added three runs in the second inning, two in the third and five in the fourth.

The championship contest saw Latham hit a first inning homer again for the 1-0 lead. The Lady Tigers added two runs in the second frame, four in the fourth and three in the fifth.

“Mostly hitting the middle of the ball. We had a lot of pop flies that should have been outs normally, but we got lucky today,” Dunson said of what her team will work on over the next week. “We’ve just got to square the ball up better.”

Smith went 4-for-5 on the day with three RBIs, two walks, three stolen bases and six runs scored out of the leadoff spot. Napoleon Roberson walked three times and scored twice.

Latham finished 3-for-4 with two home runs, six RBIs and three runs scored. Kendall Hannah went 1-for-4 with three RBIs. Tatum was 1-for-3 at the plate with a double and three RBIs. Jessica Adams scored five runs on the day.

Bria Brown was 2-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored.

Elly Brown finished 1-for-5 with a run scored. Taylor Smith went 1-for-6 with a double, one RBI and a run scored. Anna Katherine Aldridge was 2-for-6 with a run scored. Alex Abrams scored a run.

All-Tournament team honors went to Tatum, Montz, Latham, Bria Brown and Courtney Smith as well as Dallas County’s Tori Hatfield and Yasmine Green. Smith and Latham shared Most Valuable Player honors.

Demopolis heads to Troy for regional play Thursday, May 12.