Panthers sunk in sixth inning
Published 9:56 am Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Chilton County scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on Friday to blow open a close softball game against Jemison and take a 13-9 win.
Both teams plated one run in the first inning, and Jemison took its first lead of the game, 3-1, in the second on a two-run single by Amber Simmons.
CCHS came right back in its half of the inning and, on run-scoring hits by Macee Thomas and Mary Katherine Graham, took a lead it would never surrender—though Jemison would keep it close.
The host Tigers made it 6-3 in the third, Jemison cut it to 6-4 in the fourth, and then CCHS built its biggest lead of the evening when April Lewis and Brianna Cleckler recorded back-to-back run-scoring hits with two outs to make it 8-4.
But Jemison scored two runs in the fifth and another run in the sixth to make it a one-run game.
That’s when CCHS exploded and put the game out of reach. The Tigers recorded four hits in the frame—the biggest could have been Cleckler’s smack to center field—and took advantage of two walks and an error by the Jemison defense.
Simmons and Tabatha Cork had RBI hits for the Panthers in the top of the seventh to conclude the scoring.
Kadie Coker started on the mound for CCHS and earned the win. Cleckler came on in relief to begin the sixth.