Calhoun County, AL Calhoun County, Alabama Piedmont bats continue to roll in their win against Saks; Wellborn gets out to lead, and responds Weaver questions to earn an opportunity to play Piedmont; Ohatchee PV, still in the game
Class 3A, Area 10,
At Piedmont
Monday
Piedmont 10, Saks 0
Wellborn 7 Weaver 5
Weaver 16, Saks 3
Tuesday
Winners” bracket
Piedmont against. Wellborn, 4 p.m.
Weaver against. Piedmont/Wellborn, 5:45 p.m.
Final round, between 7 and 8:15 p.m.
By Joe Medley
Calhoun County champion Piedmont reignited its offensive tempo just before regional tournament play began and the Bulldogs were on the move during the tournament opener on Monday.
Jenna Calvert’s double of two runs set off an eight-run rout in the third inning. Host Piedmont was able to defeat Saks 10-0 over five innings of Class 3A Area 10 action.
The Bulldogs advanced to Tuesday’s winner bracket final against Wellborn who defeated Weaver 7-5 earlier on Monday.
Piedmont continued to enjoy a winning streak that began when they won three games at the Hokes Bluff pre-area tournament in Gadsden City on the weekend. A week prior to that, Piedmont lost four games in the Albertville pre-area tournament.
“I think we’ve come together quite a bit particularly during the tournament we had this last weekend.” Calvert said. “We have started to get more active through the bats. We’d struggled for a while with bats, but we were to life on this particular weekend.”
Piedmont’s eighth-run third broke the seal on an uncontested game.
The rally was highlighted by Calvert’s 2-run double Savannah Smith’s double-hit single Armoni Perry’s RBI double, Jaycee Glover sacrifice fly to score an RBI Emma Grace Todd’s single infield that scored a hit, and another run that resulted from an out of bounds run.
The Bulldogs added two runs in the fourth.
“We reached the second attempt and then we had some barrels on the ball.” Piedmont coach Rachel Smith stated. “Even when we first went our ball was hit with a solid but directly at people.”
Todd scored two hits Todd had two hits, and Piedmont received a hit apiece from the five batters who started the order. Calvert, Smith and Jaycee Glover each scored two RBIs.
This meant a relaxing game in the circle Carson Young, who pitched five innings of no-hit.
“It simply was a nice clean ball game” Rachel Smith said.
7 WELLBORN, 7 Weaver 5:Wellborn was ahead throughout, but was forced to respond to an attack, following Weaver came just three in the fifth 5th.
“We returned (to our dugout) and thought, ‘Naw, we’re not letting this take place”” The Wellborn pitching coach Autumn Parsons said.
It was Wellborn’s rally of four runs at the middle in the 6th. Destiny Benefield, Jaylyn Chattin and Jordan Hunt had back-to-back-to-back singles and Kyra Tirban was next with a two-run homer. The rally began with leadoff batter Cassidy Gray reached as a hit batsman.
Benefield was 3-for-4 and had two RBIs. Chattin and Hunt each had two hits as did Parsons hit two runs.
Parsons pitched the first five innings and Benefield played in the last two innings to complete the job.
“That was an enjoyable experience,” Wellborn coach Brenda Vinson stated. “They performed really well. We had some pressure-cooker situations, and we started increasing our speed and calling time as well as conversing with one another.
“It was an extremely excellent team victory.”
Well-born pitcher Autumn Parsons comes out of her warm-up game with Weaver on Monday night at Piedmont. (Photo taken by Joe Medley)
WEAVER 16 SAKS 3Weaver’s softball team celebrates the players by presenting a tiara to the winner. Peyton Marvasty wore it proudly following the Bearcats defeated Saks to be within a single win of clinching one more East Regional berth Monday.
The tiara also came along with the first game for the year? That’s just the best.
Marvasty’s homer and Kynlee Fulmer’s double-hit highlight Weaver’s rebound after the team fell to Wellborn. Weaver will face the Piedmont-Wellborn winner to earn an East Regional berth Tuesday at 5:45 p.m.
The winner also goes to the area finals around 7 p.m.
“It’s all work the next day,” Weaver coach Gary Atchley told reporters. “One of us has to go to the airport, while another has finished.”
Weaver got its groove on against Saks with a hit in the third in the third. Then it was three in the fourth inning, six in the fifth and four in sixth.
Marvasty’s home run formed one of five runs in the Bearcats five-run inning.
“It felt great,” Marvasty said, with her tiara shining on her head. “I stared straight towards my daddy (Justin) and he was smiling because we are always working. Even after practice or off days we’re out and do our work. The effort was worth it.”
Marvasty was wearing the team tiara first time in the season.
“Normally I’m one pinch runner running for me, and I don’t score much,” she said.
Weaver was a force on the plate with several solid performance against Saks. Jadyn Smith went 3-for-3, with two doubles five runs with two RBIs. Kinley Marvasty hit 2-for-4, with three RBIs and two runs and Annaliese Shirvinski was 3-for-5 with an RBI, a run with five RBIs.
The circle was where Fulmer took out six batters and surrendered earned runs. Her two-hit inning came less than an entire week after she pitched an inning of no-hits at Jacksonville Christian.
“It was difficult at moments, but it’s been worth it, everything we’ve accomplished this season,” said Fulmer, daughter of Weaver Assistant Coach Andy Fulmer. “I am not able to thank anyone other than my dad. He’s been a great motivator for me to the limit, even at times when I believed I’d been reaching my limit.”
Class 3A, Area 11,
At Hokes Bluff
Monday
Glencoe 11. Ohatchee 2
Glencoe 7 Hokes Bluff 4
Tuesday
Ohatchee Vs. Hokes Bluff, 4:30 p.m.
Finals
Glencoe Vs. Ohatchee/Hokes Bluff at 6:30 p.m. 8:15 p.m.
GLENCOE to Finals:At Hokes Bluff, Glencoe’s Summer Crump pitched a three-hitter against Ohatchee in addition, Abigail Bunt, Hailey Hanners and Aubrey Maxwell had three hits each. Hanners scored two doubles, and drove in five runs. Maxwell scored three RBIs.
The Ohatchee’s Savannah Reaves, Mackenzie Luna and Tabi Davis had one each. Luna as well as Davidson each scored an RBI.
In the game against Hokes Bluff Cayse Willett, and Emma Hyfield hit home runs. Hyfield had three RBIs and Willett scored one.
Class 2A, Area 9.
In Pleasant Valley
Monday
Woodland 11. Ranburne 0
Woodland 15, Pleasant Valley 7
Pleasant Valley 18, Ranburne 3
Tuesday
Finals
Pleasant Valley against. Woodland, 5 and 7 p.m.
PV REBOUNDS In Pleasant Valley, Madyson Cromer hit home runs in two consecutive in the bat against Ranburne and Haylie Lee hit home runs to the Pleasant Valley rebound after losing to Woodland.
The Raiders have 21 hits in the game against Ranburne. Cromer along with Gracee Ward each had four and Cromer hit five runs. Lee was averaging three hits and three RBIs.
Macey Roper Sydney Beason, Emma Harvey and Alexa Cranmer all had two hits each. Harvey as well as Beason each had two doubles. Harvey and Beason both hit doubles. find more sports news stories…]
