Lady Tigers romp in Area 6 tourney
Demopolis scored 31 runs in two games against Dallas County Thursday to win the Class 5A, Area 6 tournament championship.
Dallas County opened play as the No. 2 seed and downed Wilcox Central to move to a matchup with Demopolis.
Abbey Latham tripled and gave way to courtesy runner Holli Gandy, who scored on a passed ball to give the Lady Tigers the early 1-0 lead.
Dallas County fired back with a pair of run in the top of the second inning to take a 2-1 lead.
“We were chasing some bad pitches. Their pitcher was pitching it where we couldn’t hit it and we couldn’t lay off it,” Demopolis coach Stephen Campbell said of his team’s slow start. “That third inning, we made her start throwing lower in the zone and we were able to get a lot more line rives off of her.”
Demopolis answered with a four spot in the home half of the second for the 5-2 advantage.
That proved to be the last time Demopolis trailed in the tournament as it went on to hang 12 more runs in the third and down the Lady Hornets 17-2 in only three innings of play. The loss sent Dallas County to another date with Wilcox. After picking up that win, the Lady Hornets played their fourth consecutive game on the day, losing to Demopolis 14-0 in the finale.
Jessica Adams took Most Valuable Player honors for the tournament, going 4-for-5 with a walk, a double, five RBIs and five runs scored on the day.
“I can’t say how proud I am for her. If there is a kid that deserves to have luck and a good day, it’s that kid,“ Campbell said of Adams. “She works hard everyday. Having her on base is a catalyst for this team. Having her in centerfield, I know I have someone who can cover right-center to left-center with the best in the state.”
Courtney Smith, Jade Montgomery, Cameron Thomason, Abbey Latham and Hanna Malone also earned All-Tournament distinction.
Smith went 5-for-8 with a triple, five RBIs, five runs scored and two stolen bases. Montgomery was 3-for-4 with four RBIs, three walks, a steal and two runs scored.
Latham went 5-for-6 with two walks and three RBIs. Thomason finished with a pair of hits, one RBI and three runs scored.
Malone notched the win in each contest, working a total of seven innings and allowing only four hits, one walk and no earned runs while striking out six.
“I can’t preach about Hanna enough,” Campbell said. “She got a little frustrated about some of her pitches early, but she never deviates. She’s pretty constant in what she does.”
Natalie Tatum reached base five times in two games, notching one RBI. Kendall Hannah went 2-for-4 with a double, two walks, a hit-by-pitch, three RBIs and two runs scored.
Taylor Smith scored three runs. Anna Caroline Logan drew three walks, scored three runs, recorded a single and one RBI. Elly Brown reached base twice and picked up one RBI in her stead.
Gandy, Alex Abrams, Kayla Montz and Lane Braeden Burbage all scored as courtesy or pinch runners. Rachel Smith had a pinch hit appearance.
The win sends Demopolis to regional tournament play in Troy next week.
“I expect them to fight,” Campbell said of his team. “They went through it this year. With the schedule we played and all the one-run games, they’re mentally prepared for it. I think they’re going to handle the pressure just fine.”