Demopolis survives day one at South Central Regional
Day one of the South Central Regional in Troy proved adventurous for Demopolis as one disastrous inning has the Lady Tigers fighting for their season.
Demopolis 2, Valley 0
The day started smoothly as the Lady Tigers saw Natalie Tatum strike out 12 Valley batters en route to a 2-0 victory. The offense was scant for Demopolis in the contest and the game’s biggest threat went by the wayside as DHS loaded the bases with nobody out in the fourth only to fail to score.
But speed killed for Demopolis in the bottom in the fifth as Alex Abrams singled with two out and proceeded to steal both second and third. Napoleon Roberson dropped down a bunt and reached on an error, allowing Abrams to score for the 1-0 lead. Another error allowed Roberson to score for the 2-0 margin of victory.
Shelby County 8, Demopolis 5
Demopolis appeared poised to stay in the winners’ bracket into day two before the proverbial wheels fell off in the top of the seventh against Shelby County. Leading 3-1, a hit-by-pitch and a series of errors enabled five Shelby hits to account for seven runs.
Taylor Smith hit a two-run homer for Demopolis in the home half of the seventh but the damage proved insurmountable.
Demopolis got most of its offense in the bottom of the fourth. Weezie Hughes singled in Elly Brown. Hughes scored on Roberson’s groundout. Abby Grace Cameron doubled in Abrams for the 3-0 lead.
The game, which had been scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. did not begin until closer to 6 p.m. When it concluded after 8 p.m., the Lady Tigers were already behind schedule for an elimination contest with Calera that had been set to begin at 7:30 p.m.
Demopolis 11, Calera 2
The Lady Tigers played until well after 10:30 p.m. Thursday to keep their season alive. Demopolis twice overcame one-run deficits before pulling away with a three-run fifth inning and a six-run sixth to ice the 11-2 victory.
Calera went up 1-0 in the bottom of the second before Roberson got the DHS offense going in the third with a leadoff single. She moved to third on an error and scored on Kendall Hannah’s RBI single to tie the game.
Calera homered in the third to retake the lead and then used three miscues to load the bases. Tatum then dug in with a strikeout to end the inning and mitigate the damage.
Demopolis responded with its own bases loaded, nobody out situation in the top of the fourth. Cameron’s grounder plated Bria Brown to tie the game at 2-2.
Smith struck the match in the top of the fifth with a leadoff double. Two batters later, Bria Brown singled before Hughes drew a walk to load the bases. Smith and Brown each scored on an error that allowed Abrams to reach. After Roberson singled, Cameron grounded out to third, driving in Hughes for the 5-2 lead.
Demopolis poured it on in the sixth. Tatum and Smith singled ahead of a two-run double from Elly Brown. Abrams singled in Brown to make it 8-2. Hughes and Abrams scored on an error to push it to 10-2. Roberson walked, stole second, stole third and stole home for the final run of the game.
Tatum struck out six batters over seven innings while scattering six hits and allowing one earned run for the win.
Demopolis is set to play again at 10:30 a.m. Friday against Jemison in an elimination game. The Lady Tigers will have to win two straight games Friday in order to move to the state tournament.