Sweet Water softball wins three to qualify for state tournament
Sweet Water (24-14) has made its way to the state tournament for the first time since 2010 after downing Pleasant Home 6-5 in the finale of the Class 1A South Regional at Gulf Shores.
The win, which was the Bulldogs’ third of the tournament, came despite a furious five-run charge from Pleasant Home in the bottom of the seventh inning. With the tying run aboard, Megan Roe induced a grounder to third baseman Kora Myers to end the game.
Sweet Water scored in each of the game’s first five innings to build its 6-0 lead.
Charlie Vickers opened the game with a single and scored on a Sara Irvin double for the 1-0 lead. Roe singled in the top of the second and gave way to courtesy runner Elaina Mitchell, who stole second and scored on Mallory Roe’s single to center.
After Lindsey Davis singled to lead off the third, Irvin struck with a two-run homer for the 4-0 lead. Myers doubled to start the fourth and scored on Mallory Roe’s single to center for the 5-0 advantage.
Sweet Water capped its scoring in the fifth when Irvin reached on an error and scored on Natalie Luker’s single to center.
Kassidy Gunter’s single with one out in the seventh erased Megan Roe’s perfect game and ignited a rally that included five straight hits before Sweet Water coaxed the final two outs.
The win followed one of Sweet Water’s toughest games of the season, a 10-0 loss to powerhouse Brantley earlier Friday afternoon. Davis managed a single for Sweet Water, standing as the only thing between Brantley’s Leanna Johnson and a perfect game. Johnson faced one over the minimum over six innings of work during which she struck out 16 batters.
Sweet Water got to the winners’ bracket final with Brantley by downing Kinston 9-6 in its second game Thursday. SWHS overcame five errors in the win, doing most of its offensive damage in the first four innings of the game.
Vickers singled to start Sweet Water’s showing in the bottom of the first before Davis doubled. Vickers scored on a wild pitch. Irvin then bounced a hit past the shortstop to plate Davis for the 2-1 lead. Luker singled and gave way to courtesy runner Madison Smith. Kora Myers singled to plate Smith for the 3-1 advantage.
Irvin hit a two-run homer in the second to stretch the lead to 5-1. Megan Roe doubled in Eve Myers, who reached on a double, for the 6-2 mark in the third. Irvin tripled in Vickers and Davis in the fourth to set it at 8-3. Irvin scored on an Eve Myers fielder’s choice to cap the Bulldog scoring. Irvin saved it for Roe by striking out two batters in her lone inning of work in the circle.
Sweet Water opened its weekend with a 12-2 blowout victory over Red Level. Irvin scored on an error in the top of the first before Luker scored on another error for the 2-0 lead. Irvin tripled in Vickers in the second for the 3-0 mark. Things got worse for Red Level in the bottom of the third when Megan Roe singled in Eve and Kora Myers. Kora Myers singled in Luker in the bottom of the fourth to move it to 6-1.
In the bottom of the fifth, Irvin singled in Maggie Thompson to push it to 8-2. Sweet Water capped it in the bottom of the sixth with a four-run rally. Thompson hit into a fielder’s choice to plate Kora Myers. Mallory Roe singled in Elaina Mitchell before Irvin tripled in Roe and Vickers. Megan Roe struck out 12 over six innings while allowing just four hits and one earned run for the win.
Irvin finished the tournament with two doubles, three triples, two homers and 13 RBIs.
Sweet Water opens play in the Class 1A state tournament at Lagoon Park in Montgomery Wednesday at 9 a.m. against Sumiton Christian.