WEST POINT – Wanting to take home the county championship for the first time since 2008, West Point regrouped after the Lady Warriors allowed Cold Springs five runs in the last of the first on four hits. The Lady Warriors finished off the Lady Eagles 18-5 Wednesday night in a game called in the fifth inning by the 10-run rule.
A four-run second inning sent coach Kevin Sullins’ squad in front at 6-5 with Karra Elam’s bases-clearing triple down the left field line the key blow in the frame.
West Point got to Cold Springs’ Rilee White in the third with Mallory Walker clearing the bases on a triple, Tess Hembree cracking a two-run homer and taking advantage of four Cold Springs errors. Going to the bottom of the third, West Point held a 15-5 lead.
After having a good first inning at the plate, Patrick West’s Lady Eagles struggled. They managed just two hits through the final three innings and were unable to get additional runs on the board.
Three runs by West Point in the top of the fifth featured a run scoring single from Hembree, an RBI groundout by Jami Beasley and Bailee Yearwood with a run scoring single.
White was taken off the mound by Cold Springs in the fourth, getting replaced by Hester. The future Wallace State hurler was exhausted in getting her squad to the championship round, especially getting into a pitcher’s duel with Holly Pond’s Montana Holcombe in the semifinal game.
Jeri Beasley picked up her second win in the tournament and was solid after getting touched for five in the first. She had good play from her defense that took
pressure off her to get the job done on a cool night in mid-April. The championship ended at 10:30 p.m., taking an hour and 39 minutes to be played.
CULLMANSENSE ALL-PERFORMANCE SOFTBALL TEAM:
Based on performance in the 2014 Cullman County Tournament:
SS Karra Elam of West Point – MVP
P Jeri Beasley – West Point
DP Daeshia Smith – West Point
OF Tess Hembree – West Point
P Rilee White – Cold Springs
1B Kelsee Hester – Cold Springs
SS Haley Freeman – Cold Springs
P Montana Holcombe – Holly Pond
SS Taylor Tankersley – Holly Pond
3B Sami Hinds – Holly Pond
P Raven Christensen – Vinemont
OF Alanah Henke – Good Hope
TOURNAMENT SCOREBOARD:
Game # 1 – West Point 16, Hanceville 0 ( 4 innings by run rule)
Game # 2 – Cold Springs 6, Vinemont 3
Game # 3 – Holly Pond 8, Fairview 3
Game # 4 – West Point 12, Good Hope 2 (6 innings by run rule)
Game # 5 – Cold Springs 5, Holly Pond 3
Game # 6 – West Point 18, Cold Springs 5 (5 innings by run rule)
