softball

The Berry Lady Wildcats finished second in the eight-team Fayette County High School “Tiger Slam” Softball Invitational, held last Friday and Saturday at FCHS. In Berry’s first game of the tournament on Friday night, Cordova beat the Lady Wildcats by the score of 2-1. Kyla Edmonson pitched the entire game for Berry, surrendering five hits and two earned runs with eight strikeouts. She also led Berry at the plate, delivering a single and a double in two at-bats.

Lots of rain forced the postponement or cancellation of several games for local high school baseball and softball teams last week. The Berry Invitational Softball Tournament was cancelled last week, with the Lady Wildcats participating in the Lynn Invitational Tournament.

Kyla Edmonson, senior at Berry High School and pitcher for the Lady Wildcats softball team, signed a scholarship offer on Jan. 21 to continue her softball career at Bevill State Community College of Sumiton.

A pair of softball players for Berry High School combined to make the 2021 Alabama Sports Writers Association’s All-State Softball Team. Junior pitcher Kyla Edmonson made second team All-State, while her batterymate, catcher Allie Taylor, was named as All-State honorable mention. Berry played in the highly-competitive Class 1A, Area 9. Teams from the area placed two players on the first team, four on the second team, and three players were selected honorable mention.

Fayette’s 2021 softball season came to a close last week as Hamilton defeated Fayette twice in the Class 4A, Area 12 Tournament. Fayette had trouble in the field during the first game against Hamilton as the Lady Aggies won 12-2. The Lady Tigers out-hit Hamilton 7-2 in the game, with Searaley Nichols and Tyy Smith each collecting multiple hits.

Berry struggled for hits early in its first area tournament game against South Lamar, losing by a final score of 5-3. The Lady Wildcats had not managed a hit entering its half of the seventh inning. Ashlyn Smith led off the inning with a single, followed by a bunt single by Brooke Hill. Allie Taylor had a single, then Caitlyn Banks followed with a RBI single, scoring Smith.
With one out, Gracyn Hydrick singled to center field to score Hill. Anna Kate VanDee then hit into a fielder’s choice, scoring Allie Taylor with the third run of the inning.

The Hubbertville Lady Lions won one of three games in the area 12 tournament to close its 2021 softball season. Hubbertville lost a heartbreaker to Meek to begin the tournament by a score of 11-10. Emma Nichols started at pitcher for the Lady Lions, and was relieved by Dixie Moye, who suffered the loss. Laikyn Wright had a double, while Moye had a hit, scored two runs and had a RBI. Kaydance Brown and Krissa Comer each had hits and scored a run.

Fayette softball won three of its four games during the past week. The Lady Tigers started the week with a 13-6 victory over Hubbertville. Sarah Moore was the winning pitcher for Fayette, allowing three earned runs in seven innings with four strikeouts. Jessica Duck started the game off in grand fashion, hitting the first pitch to the Lady Tigers over the fence for a solo home run.

The Berry Lady Wildcats defeated Aliceville 18-2 in three innings during the only game played by Berry last week. Allie Taylor started the game for Berry and collected the win, allowing no hits and no earned runs in 2 2/3 innings of work. Kyla Edmonson pitched to one batter, striking out the only person she faced.

Hubbertville played two softball games last week, losing to Fayette and defeating Phillips later in the week. On April 26, Hubbertville traveled to Fayette and lost to the Lady Tigers by a score of 13-6. Emma Nichols started the game on the mound for Hubbertville, but was relieved in the sixth inning by Dixie Moye. Moye suffered the defeat in relief.