Fresh off winning their second consecutive county crown, Belgreen’s girls added an area championship last week and clinched a berth in the North Regional Tournament.
The Lady Bulldogs beat top-seeded Tharptown 11-3 in the finals of the Class 1A, Area 13 tournament last Tuesday, getting four RBIs apiece from Cortny Williams and Emma Dempsey. Belgreen is scheduled to face Decatur Heritage at 9 a.m. on Thursday in the first round of the regional tournament at the Metro Kiwanis Sportsplex in Huntsville.
As the area runner-up, Tharptown (15-14) also clinched a regional berth and will face Athens Bible School at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday in Huntsville.
In last Tuesday’s area final, the Lady Bulldogs got a two-run triple from Williams and a two-run double from Dempsey in a four-run top of the first. Tharptown loaded the bases against Dempsey in the bottom of the inning but scored just one run.
Belgreen added to the lead in the top of the third when Williams singled and scored on another double by Dempsey to make it 5-1. With two outs in the top of the fourth, Katie Dempsey drew a walk, stole second and came home on an RBI single by Williams.
The score remained 6-1 until the top of the sixth, when the Lady Bulldogs loaded the bases on a double by Katie Dempsey and walks to Williams and Kaycee Wilson. Dempsey scored on a passed ball, and Emma Dempsey added an RBI single to make it 8-1.
Belgreen scored its final three runs in the top of the seventh. Kelsey Wilson got things going with a single, and Emmie Scott bunted for a hit. Sydney Borden drove in both runners with a single and later scored on a groundout by Williams to make it 11-1.
The Lady Wildcats put up a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh. Shaylee Wieting doubled and scored on an error, and Brooke Daily scored on a passed ball.
Emma Dempsey finished 4-for-4 with three doubles and four RBIs. Williams also drive in four runs and went 3-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored. Katie Dempsey was 2-for-4 with a double and three runs scored, and Scott went 2-for-5 with two runs and a stolen base. Borden, Kaycee Wilson and Kelsey Wilson each had one hit.
Emma Dempsey started in the circle and went three innings, allowing zero earned runs on four hits. She struck out two and walked two. Borden got the win with four innings of relief, allowing one earned run on three hits with two strikeouts and two walks.
Taylor Cameron and Ameliah Dawson led Tharptown with two hits apiece.
In previous action at the Area 13 tournament:
Tharptown 10 Vina 0
Oliva Ergle took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and finished with seven strikeouts in a one-hit shutout last Tuesday as the Lady Wildcats eliminated Vina and clinched a regional berth.
Taylor Cameron, Cara Ergle, Ameliah Dawson and Aly Vandiver each had two hits for Tharptown. The Lady Wildcats jumped in front in the bottom of the first when Cameron singled and scored on an RBI single by Cara Ergle to make it 1-0.
Tharptown took advantage of two walks and two errors to score three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Brooke Daily had a base hit in the inning, and Dawson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
That was more than enough support for Olivia Ergle, who struck out the side in the top of the fifth and did not allow a hit until Sarah Johnson singled with two outs in the top of the sixth. She was stranded, and the Lady Wildcats ended the game with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Vandiver had an RBI double, and Kyndall Morgan scored the final run on a steal of home.
Cara Ergle was 2-for-2 with two RBIs. Shaylee Wieting had an RBI double and scored twice, and Cameron went 2-for-4 with two runs. Morgan walked twice and scored three times.
Belgreen 5 Tharptown 2
Freshman Kelsey Wilson delivered a key three-run double in a four-run second inning, and Emma Dempsey held Tharptown to five hits in a complete game last Tuesday as the Lady Bulldogs advanced to the area finals and clinched a regional berth.
Dempsey did not allow an earned run in seven innings, striking out five and getting key double plays in the fourth and the sixth. The freshman escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the first with a strikeout of Ameliah Dawson and then worked around a two-out hit by Aly Vandiver in the top of the second.
Cortny Williams led off the bottom of the second with a double to center, and one out later Camie Terrell reached on an error. After a walk to Bailey Wood loaded the bases, Wilson cleared them with a double. She scored the final run of the inning on an error to make it 4-0.
Belgreen added a run in the bottom of the fifth, getting a double from Kaycee Wilson and a single from Terrell. Tharptown scored a run in the sixth and another in the seventh, but Dempsey was able to finish off the win.
Olivia Ergle took the loss despite not allowing an earned run in six innings. She struck out six and walked three, giving up seven hits.
Williams and Kelsey Wilson each finished 2-for-3.
