Tigers hit, pitch way past Red Devils
Published 10:06 am Sunday, March 9, 2014
By Brandon Sumrall | Special to the Advertiser
Four freshman and three sophomores are included in the starting line up for the Maplesville Red Devils, but despite the youth and inexperience that led to eight errors on the evening, the Red Devils showed no lack of fight in an 11-1 loss on Friday night at home against the Chilton County Tigers.
The Tigers (4-4) got off to a hot start, scoring four in the top half of the first inning.
Holy Watts started the scoring with a sacrifice fly to right that scored Gabriel Kelley. Kayla Headley scored two Tiger base runners with a triple to right field that set up a Mary Hughes single to left that scored Headley.
Kristen Binion and the Tiger defense only saw four Red Devil batters in the bottom half of the inning, with Binion retiring two via strikeout.
The Tigers added five more runs in the top half of the second inning, with two of those runs coming by way of Red Devil errors.
A Watts infield single was mishandled by the Red Devils, leading to a run by Kelley, and a passed ball at first base put Taylor Smitherman on via another infield ground ball.
On her second at-bat of the evening, Headley added two more RBI to her tally on the night, this time on a double to center field.
A Keona DeJarnett single to left-center scored Headley and gave the Tigers a 9-1 lead.
Julia Jones reached base on a Tigers error to start the bottom half of the inning for the Red Devils (0-2), and a Shelby Weldon infield single put the Red Devils on the board.
Headed to the third inning, the Tigers led 9-1.
After a scoreless third and fourth by both teams, the Tigers added two more runs in the top of the fifth inning.
A bunt by DeJarnett to start the inning led to another Tigers run on a Watts line drive to center field. Another Red Devil error on a Hannah Jackson infield ground ball scored Kristina Caton and give the Tigers an 11-1 lead.
With two on and one out in the bottom half of the fifth inning, the Red Devils found themselves facing a must-score situation in order to keep the game from ending early on the 10-run mercy rule.
Fielding a pitch from Hannah Oaks, Tigers catcher Caton fired down to second base, where Kelley tagged out one Red Devil base runner then fired back home to Caton for a game-ending double play.
Binion got the start on the hill for the Tigers and pitched four innings, issuing one walk and allowing two hits while recording four strikeouts.
Headley led at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double, triple and four RBI.
Alexus Goggins pitched a complete game for Maplesville, going five innings, with nine hits and walks allowed while striking out four.