Good Hope escapes upset with winning run coming home in the 7th:
GDW Analysis:
GOOD HOPE: Seeking an opportunity to end 4A, Area 13 regular season play with an upset, Hanceville softball challenged Good Hope to the ultimate end Friday afternoon.
Hanceville had the Lady Raiders down early before Good Hope went ahead in the middle innings. The Lady Bulldogs never stopped playing as they tied in their half of the 7th before Good Hope pulled out a 9 to 8 victory on Addyson Burgess' single with one out, scoring Carly Adams from 3rd.
Good Hope completes the area schedule with six wins in eight decisions, 2nd to Priceville.
Hanceville dropped to 0 & 8 in the area. The Area 13 tournament will be next weekend in Priceville with Hanceville facing East Lawrence in the opening round while Good Hope gets West Morgan. The champion and runner up from the area will go on to the Northwest Regional in Florence the week of May 6.
Hanceville went up 2 to 0 in the first on a 2 run single by Katelyn Twilley, scoring Kynzlee Farr and Zoe Pitts.
Good Hope managed to tie the Lady Bulldogs in the last of the 1st as a sac fly by Haley Lay and a single from Carly Adams scored Alex Steed and Kylee Smith.
Farr and Pitts produced base hits for Hanceville in the 3rd to send them back on top. A ground out to first by Isabella Spinks scored Farr with the visitors on top 3 to 2.
The Lady Raiders earned their first advantage of the game by scoring five in the 4th.
Maggie O'Neil slapped a two run single for a key hit by Tim Tucker's Lady Raiders. A sac bunt by Smith and a run scoring single from Campbell Koch made it 7 to 3 Lady Raiders going to the 5th.
Hanceville stayed in contention by a 2 run frame Alex Twitty scoring off an error and Farr coming in on a single from Pitts.
Good Hope gained a run on the scoreboard in its half of the 5th as Molly Johnson doubled home Adams.
Down 8 to 5 as the 7th began, the Lady Bulldogs worked their way to see this area battle be decided in the final inning.
A Pitts base hit got Gracie Dean home to make it 8 to 6. Then it was Spinks that lashed a hit into right field scoring Twitty and Pitts before she was tagged out trying to turn the hit into a double. The inning ended with an 8 to 8 ball game.
Adams opened the Lady Raiders' final inning with a double, moved to third on a fly by Natalie Miller. Burgess singled into right field scoring Adams as this area encounter took 1 hour and 48 minutes to be played under decent conditions from Good Hope Field.
The game was over at 5:54 p.m.
Since winning the Cullman County championship April 3, the Lady Raiders have been victorious in 7 of their last 10 games. Good Hope is now 16 & 8 for the season, the most wins currently by a local team covered by Gameday Weekly.
They finish the final week of the area with three wins in three decisions, taking a pair from West Morgan Thursday and the win Friday vs. Hanceville.
Photo courtesy of Amanda Joy Calvert Smith.
