Staff Reports
CENTRE – The Etowah Lady Blue Devils outlasted Cherokee County 1-0 in nine innings in Class 4A, Area 12 softball tournament winners bracket action on Monday in Centre.
Etowah’s Maggy Bennett raced to third base on an error in left field to lead off the top of the ninth inning. She scored the game’s lone run on Jaleigh DeVine’s pop fly to left field.
Lady Blue Devil pitcher Sydney Simpson struck out Macy Lea and Samantha Stubbs in the bottom of ninth before giving up a single to left to nine-hole hitter Audrey Haygood. Abby Lea then sent a deep fly ball to center field, but DeVine stretched to make the catch near the fence for the final out of the game.
Simpson, who picked up the win in Etowah’s 5-1 victory over Oneonta in earlier tournament action on Monday, also earned the complete game win against the Lady Warriors. She scattered three hits, five walks and 15 strikeouts.
Emma Hill was the tough-luck loser for the Lady Warriors after allowing an unearned run on just two hits with a walk and 15 strikeouts. She no-hit Etowah through 5 1/3 innings until giving up a triple to right to nine-hole hitter Bella Owen.
Hill dug in to strike out Bennett and DeVine to leave Owen stranded at third.
Laura Wood led off the top of the seventh with a triple to right center, but again, Hill bounced back to retire the next three Lady Blue Devils, leaving Wood stranded at third.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Lady Warriors loaded the bases with two outs after walks to Anna Walker and Haygood, and an intentional walk to Abby Lea, but Simpson struck out Raechel Russell to end the Lady Warrior threat and force extra innings.
Russell, Hill and Haygood had the Lady Warrior hits.
In their tournament opener against Ashville on Monday, Abby Lea and Grayson Tucker combined to no-hit the Lady Bulldogs in a 10-0 Lady Warrior victory in six inning.
Abby Lea struck out eight in four innings to earn the win while Tucker tallied two strikeouts and a walk in two innings of work.
The Lady Warriors scored single runs in the bottom of the first, third and sixth innings. They batted around and scored five runs in the fourth and added two more runs in the fifth.
Abby Lea led the Lady Warriors at the plate by going 3-for-3 with a double and a walk. She also drove in three runs.
Hill homered to left in the third. She also delivered a RBI-single to center in the first and walked to load the bases in the fifth.
Macy Lea and Stubbs both added a pair of hits. Lanie Williams delivered a two-run double to left in the fourth and walked twice. Russell and Tucker both contributed a RBI-single apiece.
The Lady Warriors will take on the winner of Wednesday’s 3 p.m. elimination game between Oneonta and Ashville at 5 p.m. in Centre. Etowah awaits the winner of that game in Wednesday’s area tournament championship game at 7 p.m. An if-necessary game will be played Thursday at 4 p.m. in Centre.