The DeKalb County High School Tigerettes were in a battle early last week, after a road game in Watertown was decided late in the game. The girls would come back home the following day and have a big game against Cumberland County.
On Monday, March 28, the Tigerettes traveled to border rival Watertown where the game would remain close throughout. DeKalb would get on the board at the top of the first after Morgan Walker singled on a line drive to center. Bryna Pelham was up next, and got on with a line drive to left field.
Jacey Hatfield would fly out to second, then Madison Martin would be out on a sacrifice fly to left as Walker touched home plate. Ally Griffith would step up to the plate next and send Pelham home on a line drive to center. The Tigerettes would be up 2-0.
The Purple Lady Tigers would not be outdone, and would come away with three runs at the bottom of the first.
The action wouldn’t pick back up until the top of the sixth inning. Griffith was up at the plate first, and would single on a line drive to right field. Unfortunately, as Aniston Farler came to bat, Griffith would be caught trying to steal second. Afterward, Farler would homer on a line drive to left field. The score was tied 3-3.
Watertown would go three up, three down at the bottom of the sixth, then the Tigerettes would retake the lead at the top of the seventh. Pelham would get a walk, then Hatfield would sacrifice to the pitcher as Pelham took second. Martin would then fly out to left field.
Griffith came up to bat, and hit a single on a line drive to center. Pelham would score on the throw, as Griffith took second. Before Watertown got off the field, DeKalb was up 4-3.
The Purple Lady Tigers had one last chance. The first batter hit a double on a line drive to left, then a ground out to shortstop, advanced the runner to third. The next batter singled on a line drive to left as one runner scored. The game was tied 4-4.
Another single by Watertown had runners at first and second, then an intentional walk saw the bases loaded. Next, a single on a line drive to right field saw the winning run come home. Watertown took the narrow 5-4 win.
Bri Murphy took the loss for the Tigerettes. She lasted six and a third innings, with nine hits and five runs, striking out two.
The following day, the Tigerettes would bounce back in spectacular fashion. The team was back on their home field as they hosted the Lady Jets of Cumberland County.
The game wouldn’t get going until the bottom of the second inning when the Tigerettes decided to run a marathon across home plate. The girls would rack up 13 runs and pull far away from the Lady Jets’ reach.
Morgan Walker would single on a grounder to shortstop, then steal second as Bryna Pelham came to bat. Pelham would then single on a grounder to left as Walker scored, and later steal second. Aniston Farler would reach on a ground ball and error by third as Pelham took third. Bri Murphy would line out to the pitcher, then Kora Kilgore would take a base after a HBP, loading the bases.
Emma Martin would step to the plate, and get a single on a grounder to short as Pelham crossed home. Then, as Hatfield was up at the plate, Farler would score on a passed ball. Hatfield would then get a home run with a hit over right field, sending Annabella Dakas, running for Kilgore, and Emma Martin home as well. Just like that, DeKalb was up 6-0.
But the Tigerettes were far from finished. Kennedy Polk singled on a line drive to right, followed by a single by Griffith on a ground ball to left, with Chloe Lawson, running for Polk, advancing to second. Morgan Walker would walk, again loading the bases, then Pelham would ground out to second as Lawson came home.
Farler was at the plate and hit a line drive, reaching on an error by shortstop, as Walker and Griffith scored. Farler would take second on a wild pitch, then Bri Murphy would take a base after a HBP. Kilgore would then hit a grounder and reach on an error by short, as Farler and Murphy score. Emma Martin would double on a line drive to right, as Dakas, again in for Kilgore, crossed home plate. Hatfield was up again and this time would get a triple, sending Martin home. By the end of the second inning, DeKalb had racked up 13 runs.
Things would not pick back up until the top of the fourth, when Cumberland finally got on the board. After a walk by Kilgore, the Lady Jet runner advanced to second on a wild pitch, then steals third. The runner would then reach home on an error by Polk. Cumberland was on the board, 13-1.
The Lady Jets would add three more runs at the top of the fifth, but the Tigerettes would cap off their win with another run of their own, when Emma Martin added a run. DeKalb claimed the 14-4 victory.
Kilgore claimed the win from the rubber, surrendering one run on three hits over four innings. She struck out six and walked one. Gracie Randolph threw one inning.
