White Plains, AL White Plains, Alabama Drawn with a lot of difficulty difficult day at the state championship for White Plains, but Wildcats finish a promising season under their first-year coach
State softball tournament
Class 6A
Athens 15, Oxford 4
CLASS 4A
Orange Beach 18, White Plains White Plains
Curry 12 White Plains 2
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
OXFORDWhite Plains’ debut season as head coach Tiffany Williams brought promising moments and positive results.
Friday’s state championship? It wasn’t so great.
The Wildcats faced the Class 4A the second-ranked Orange Beach and the top-ranked Curry and lost 18-0 over three innings, and 12-2 over five innings in five innings at Chocclocco Park.
Leighton Arnold enjoyed the game’s most memorable moment when he hit an unassisted homer to tie the Wildcats in their match against Curry at 1-1 during the 2nd innings. The Wildcats also put the bases on the table without a strikeout in the fourth inning, but were unable to get Kannon Slaughter’s bases-loaded runner to pull the Wildcats to within 3-3.
All Curry and it was all Curry.
“We had to be competitive,” Williams said. “At times we were successful. But at times, we didn’t.”
The final result didn’t match the overall season of White Plains. The Wildcats finished 31-16 with finishing second during the Calhoun County tournament as well as the East Regional title.
All this despite the season-ending injuries suffered by Cooper Martin, Kristen Rhodes and Braeton Moran.
Senior Hallie Williams admitted that “doubts” lurked over the Wildcats following the an extended period of coaching under Rachel Ford, for whom their home field was named, retired from coaching last year.
“At time of season’s beginning, we were in lots of doubts” Williams admitted. Williams who was 3-for-5, including a double, on Friday. “They proved us not to be right. They came in and did an excellent job. I’m really happy that we got it (to be a state).”
