Demopolis unable to solve Wicksburg, goes 3-2 in weekend tournament
Demopolis managed a 3-2 mark in Troy while participating in the Charles Henderson tournament over the weekend, taking both losses as a result of proving unable to solve Wicksburg.
Demopolis 3, Slocomb 1
The Lady Tigers opened the weekend Friday with a 3-1 victory over Slocomb. After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the second inning, Demopolis got on the board in the home half of the frame. Taylor Smith singled and later scored on a Weezie Hughes base hit to left to tie the game. Natalie Tatum dealt the game’s defining blow in the third when she doubled in Alex Abrams to put Demopolis up 2-1. Courtesy runner Tiffany McInnis later scored on an error to set the score at 3-1.
Kayla Montz struck out three batters over two innings of work. Tatum got the win in relief, striking out six batters over three no-hit innings.
Demopolis 10, Dothan 5
After giving up a three-run top of the first inning in Friday’s second game, the Lady Tigers got the bats to work in the home half of the opening frame to ignite a 10-5 win over Dothan. Napoleon Roberson reached on a hit-by-pitch and scored on an error before Kendall Hannah scored on another miscue to cut the deficit to 3-2. Elly Brown then doubled in Smith to tie the game. Kayla Montz followed with a single before she and Brown scored on a Hughes bunt single to put Demopolis up 5-3. Bria Brown then grounded out to drive in Hughes for the 6-3 advantage.
Dothan strung together two more runs in the top of the second to narrow the gap to 6-5. Demopolis put the game away in the bottom of the third. Smith doubled ahead of an Elly Brown single to open the inning. Montz then singled in Smith. Hughes followed with a single to drive in Elly Brown for the 8-5 lead. A Wessie Jacobs single plated Montz and Hughes to cap the scoring.
Montz allowed one hit and struck out two over two and a third innings of relief work to pick up the win.
Wicksburg 9, Demopolis 0
Saturday’s first game saw Demopolis locked in a pitcher’s duel with Wicksburg until the wheels fell off in a disastrous sixth inning that resulted in the Lady Tigers fall 9-0.
Tatum struck out 11 batters and allowed three hits over five and a third innings to keep pace with Emily Boin, who fanned 15 batters and walked one over six no-hit innings.
Tatum’s efforts proved all for naught in a fateful top of the sixth that saw six errors and three Panther hits result in nine runs. Demopolis committed nine errors in the game to take its first loss of the weekend.
Demopolis 5, Cottonwood 1
The Lady Tigers built a 3-0 lead in the top of the first in Saturday’s second game and went on to a 5-1 win over Cottonwood. Roberson took a hit-by-pitch to open the game before Abby Grace Cameron drew a walk. Hannah then doubled to left to score both for the 2-0 lead. Montz later grounded out to drive in Hannah.
Hughes singled to open the fourth, later scoring on a passed ball. Montz drove in Smith with a grounder in the fifth for the final run of the game.
Montz struck out nine over five innings and allowed only two hits and an unearned run for the win.
Wicksburg 1, Demopolis 0
Demopolis again found itself in a scoreless tie with Wicksburg through five innings during the weekend’s final game. Cameron’s walk and Smith’s single in the bottom of the first gave the Lady Tigers their first chance to break through against Boin, but a strikeout ended the inning. Hughes singled off Boin in the second but a strikeout nullified the threat again.
Tatum worked her team out of a jam in the fourth as she struck out a batter to leave the bases loaded. Demopolis appeared poised to break through again in the home half of the fourth as Smith walked and Tatum singled. Boin then dug in and struck out another batter to end the threat. Roberson singled in the bottom of the fifth but Demopolis could not get her beyond third base.
International tiebreaker rules benefitted Wicksburg in the sixth as Theresa Reynolds was placed on second to open the frame. Kara Cox’s sacrifice bunt moved her to third. Two batters later, Gabby Murphy dropped down a bunt single to plate Reynolds for the 1-0 Wicksburg lead.
Abrams started the bottom of the sixth on second base for Demopolis but the Lady Tigers could not get a ball out of the infield against Boin, falling 1-0. Boin struck out eight batters and limited Demopolis to two hits over six innings of work.
Montz struck out five batters over three and two-thirds innings of work, allowing only one hit. Tatum struck out three over two and a third innings.
Demopolis (25-14) is set to host the Class 5A, Area 7 tournament Friday.