Post Photo by Dennis Holley Zakiya Taylor makes contact for the Tigerettes.
Post Photo by Dennis Holley Abbi Storey makes contact for a base hit to right field.
By DENNIS HOLLEY
Sports Writer
CORNERSVILLE — On a chilly night more suited to early November football rather than softball, the Cornersville Lady Bulldogs fought the cold and the Marshall County Tigerettes in the second game of the season series.
The Tigerettes jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, only to see the Lady Dawgs tie it in the second.
Late game heroics by both teams heated up the cold night as the hometown Lady ‘Dawgs scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh, the last with two outs, a walk-off single by Molly Wells that scored Carmen Ward for a Cornersville 7-6 victory.
Wells, in addition to the game-winning hit, went 4-for-4 and drove in two runs for the Lady Bulldogs and Ward, scoring the winning run, pitched a seven-hitter complete game.
Courtney Lynch starred on the mound for Marshall County, going seven innings and Zakiya Taylor went 3-for-4 at the plate.
Leading off for the Tigerettes, Taylor got aboard via a swinging bunt and Courtney Lynch got on base after a Cornersville dropped throw.
Both scoreed as well as Demiyah Blackman and Kinley Wiser as the Cornersville defense struggled in the top of the first and when the Lady Bulldogs got the third out the Tigerettes were up, 4-0.
The Lady ‘Dawgs could not get untracked in the bottom of the first despite a single by Addi Storey and at the end of one inning MCHS still led 4-0.
Cornersville’s hitters came to life in the bottom of the second inning as Wells led off with a single and Emma Ward followed with a line-drive blast over the left field fence.
Alex Cardin singled to left field after two outs, then a single by Anna Wood put two runners on for Jayli Childress and the senior center fielder responded with a solid drive to center field that scored Cardin and Wood and the Lady ‘Dawgs tied the score at the end of the second inning, 4-4.
The score remained tied until the bottom of the fifth inning when Childress again struck delivering a single and after Storey collected a base hit, Wells drove Childress home with a double and at the end of five innings the Lady Bulldogs led 5-4.
Both teams stranded runners in the sixth but the seventh brought the fireworks.
Taylor and Lynch got things going for Marshall County with back-to-back base hits, both advancing to second and third on a passed ball.
Taylor then scored on a sacrifice fly by Jachelle Ridley with Lynch scoring on a wild pitch and the Tigerettes had grabbed the lead 6-5 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.
With one out, Childress again set the table for Cornersville singling through the hole at shortstop and Storey followed with a double to centerfield that sent Childress to third base.
Carmen Ward lifted a fly ball to centerfield that fell in for an error, with Childress scoring to tie the game at 6-6, but Storey was caught rounding third too far and was tagged out for the second out of the inning.
Ward took second base on defensive indifference, then on a three-two count, Wells for Cornersville followed with a line drive to centerfield that scored Ward as she beat the throw to home plate and the Lady Bulldogs walked-off with a 7-6 victory.
Marshall Co. 400 000 2 – 6 7 3
Cornersville 040 010 2 – 7 14 4
Marshall Co.: Zakiya Taylor 3-for-4, Courtney Lynch 1-for-4, Demaiyah Blackman 1-for-4, Anna Stewart 1-for-3, Carlee Cole 1-for-2
Cornersville: Molly Wells 4-for-4, Jayli Childress 3-for-4, Abbie Storey 3-for-4, Anna Wood 1-for-4, Carmen Ward 1-for-4, Emma Ward 1-for-3, Alex Cardin 1-for-3.
WP: Ward
LP: Lynch
