Demopolis softball blanks Greenville
Demopolis (9-23, 4-0) clinched the regular season Class 5A, Area 5 championship Tuesday with a 10-0 win over visiting Greenville.
“We’re just working on the basics and I really see them coming together and starting to play ball and have a good time and that’s what it’s all about going into the stretch here,” Demopolis coach Joey Browder said of his team.
Sophomore Hanna Malone and eighth grader Natalie Tatum combined to pitch the shutout for Demopolis. Malone worked two innings, striking out three and giving up one hit. Tatum went four innings, striking out six while scattering four hits and two walks.
“They’re just continuing to work and get better. That’s not just those two, but all three of our pitchers are continuing to work and get better,” Browder said of his trio of pitchers that also includes Kendall Hannah. Demopolis opened the scoring in the bottom of the second as Anna Caroline Logan singled, stole second base, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored the game’s first run on a passed ball.
Baleigh Grace and Riley King each walked and later scored on an error induced by a hot shot off the bat of Abbey Latham.
Demopolis stretched its 3-0 lead to 5-0 in the third as Logan walked, stole second and later scored from third on an illegal pitch call. Hannah walked, stole second, moved to third on an illegal pitch and scored on a Latham RBI single.
Demopolis had a promising frame working in the fourth as Courtney Smith and Cameron Thomason led off with back-to-back singles. After Smith and Thomason each stole a base, Logan hit a sinking line drive that shortstop Tankevia Durant caught on the fly and flipped to third to start a F6-5-4 triple play.
Durant singled in the fifth and appeared poise to score Greenville’s first run of the day when Latham popped out of catcher’s stance and sniped Durant trying to steal second base.
Dempolis piled on four more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Hannah reached on an error, moved to second on a passed ball and scored on a Jade Montgomery RBI single.
Montgomery moved to second on an error, stole third and scored on a Grace RBI single. After a caught stealing gave Demopolis one out in the inning, King, Latham and Adams each singled to load the bases. Thomason later stroked a two-out, two-run single to plate King and Latham and stretch the lead to 9-0.
Demopolis ended the game via the 10-run rule in the sixth as Grace reached on an error and gave way to pinch runner Nicole Wilkinson. After a King walk, Latham ripped a RBI double to left to plate Wilkinson to end the game.
“(Monday) night’s lineup wasn’t exactly like tonight’s,” Browder said. “We’re trying to base everything on stats and what we’ve done against who we’ve already played,” Browder said. “We’re still just moving people around depending on who we’re playing and what we’re trying to accomplish, trying to work on our strengths, but also attack weaknesses of who we’re playing.”
Demopolis tallied 13 hits and 11 stolen bases in the game.
“We’ve really been focusing on base running. That is something that has become a daily part of our practice schedule and it seems to be paying off,” Browder said.
Demopolis honored Grace and King, its senior duo, following the game.
“They have battled for all four years. They’ve always been leaders whether they were on the field or not. They’ve always come to work every day, no matter what. All that hard work and that determination and that great team spirit, everything has really paid off for them this year in their senior year,” Browder said of King and Grace. “I’m so proud of what they’ve done and I’m proud of where they’re taking this team right now.”
Tuesday’s win means Demopolis will host the area tournament. That event is set for May 2 and will tentatively being at 9:30 a.m.