WEST POINT, Ala. – It took 33 combined hits, six combined homeruns and 29 total runs scored but the West Point Lady Warriors and Russellville Lady Tigers were finally able to settle things Tuesday night. After responding to big Russellville innings time after time, the Lady Warriors got their chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh and Braelee Quinn drilled a walk-off single to score Carlie Wilkins and give West Point a big, 15-14 victory over the Lady Tigers.
The Lady Tigers took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first after scoring a pair of runs on an error and another error later in the inning made it 3-0 going into the bottom half of the inning. However, West Point responded in the bottom of the first, cutting the lead to 3-1 after Bethany Minck scored on a passed ball. Carlie Wilkins put a solo homerun off the scoreboard in right field to make it 3-2 and Braelee Quinn launched a solo bomb over the fence in left-center field to tie the game at 3 going into the second.
An RBI double put Russellville back in front 4-3 in the top of the second and a sacrifice fly made it a 5-3 game in the top of the third. The Lady Warriors answered once again in their half of the inning. An RBI double from Wilkins cut the lead to 5-4 and Sydney Sellers laced an RBI double into center field to tie the game at 5. Quinn kept it going with another RBI double and gave West Point a 6-5 lead and Kylie Quinn drove an RBI single into left field to make it a 7-5 game going into the fourth inning.
A 2-run homerun tied the game at 7 in the top of the fourth and an RBI double gave the Lady Tigers an 8-7 lead. Another 2-run shot put Russellville on top 10-7, but the Lady Warriors were able to answer the bell once again. Lexi Kimbrill led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo homerun that cut the lead to 10-8 and after a pair of singles from Minck and Lexi Shadix put a couple runners on base for Wilkins. Carlie’s big day continued as she ripped a triple into right field to plate two more runs and tie the game at 10. An error allowed West Point to tack on another run and the Lady Warriors led the way 11-10 going into the fifth.
The momentum continued to shift back and forth, and Russellville blasted a 3-run homer in the top of the fifth to go back on top 13-11 going into the bottom half of the inning. Braelee Quinn’s big day kept going as well and she drove an RBI single into left field to score two more runs for West Point and tie things back up at 13 going into the sixth. The Lady Tigers scored on an error to pull back ahead 14-13 in the top of the sixth, but the Lady Warriors got the run back with an RBI double from Minck to tie the game at 14 going into the final frame.
West Point got out of the top of the seventh with the score intact and went back to the plate with a chance to win it in the bottom half of the inning. Wilkins led off the inning with a double to put a runner in scoring position and after a single from Sydney Sellers put runners on the corners, Braelee Quinn drove a walk-off single up the middle to give the Lady Warriors a 15-14 win over the Lady Tigers.
Quinn had an eye-popping day at the plate, finishing 4-for-5 with six RBIs and the game-winner. Wilkins was 4-for-4 at the plate for West Point and drove in four RBIs of her own. Minck (one RBI) added four hits in the win and Kimbril (one RBI) and Sellers (one RBI) each posted a pair of hits as well.
Phil Campbell 4 – West Point 0 (Baseball)
A pair of singles from Branson Smith and Aubry Cleghorn gave the Warriors a pair of runners in the bottom of the first but a pop out ended the inning with score still knotted at 0. Eli Folds struck out two of the next three batters he faced in the top of the second and kept the Bobcats off the board in the third inning as well.
West Point put a couple more runners on base in the bottom of the fourth, but a double play and a fly ball kept the Warriors from taking advantage. The scoring drought finally ended when an RBI double put Phil Campbell in front 1-0 in the top of the fifth and an RBI single added another run to the lead going into the bottom half of the inning.
West Point went down in order in the bottom of the fifth and the Bobcats tacked on two more runs in the top of the sixth to stretch their lead to 4-0. The Warriors got a pair of runners on base and threatened to score in both the sixth and the seventh but couldn’t capitalize and ended up falling to Phil Campbell at home 4-0.
Folds tossed three scoreless innings for West Point, allowing just two hits and striking out five. Smith, Folds, Cleghorn, Will Cochran, JD Cochran and Cade Simmons each posted a hit for the Warriors in the loss.
West Point will be on the road this Friday to take on Sardis in the opening round of the AHSAA state playoffs.
Copyright 2021 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
