Tigerettes Dominate at Home, Split Tourney

While most local sports teams took the week off for the Easter holiday, the DeKalb County High School Tigerettes Softball Team played a full slate of games, including a tournament in Waverly. While the team dominated early in the week, the girls fell back in their later games.

On Tuesday, March 30, the Tigerettes were on their home field as they took on the Lionettes of Cannon County. DeKalb County took control of the game and never looked back, resulting in a perfect game pitched by the team's lone senior, Ellie Cripps.

After Cannon County went three and out at the top of the first inning, DeKalb fired up the offense with Jacey Hatfield hitting a fielder's choice, and driving Morgan Walker home. Then Aly Griffith hit a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing Hatfield to score.

The girls would strike again in the second inning when Kennedy Polk hit a line drive to third base and reaches on an error as Aniston Farler  touched home plate.

After the Lionettes again went three and out in the third, the Tigerettes began to nail the coffin shut. DeKalb bats were on fire. Cripps doubled on a ground ball to center field, driving Hatfield and Griffith home. Next, Bri Murphy knocked it out of the park on a line drive to left field, also driving Layla Walker. Then, Emma Martin homered on a line drive to center field, driving Farler home. At the end of the inning DeKalb was up 9-0.

DeKalb tallied six runs in the fourth inning, sealing the victory. Hatfield homered on a line drive to center field, also sending Emma Johnson home, then Murphy grounded out, but drove Griffith home, as Cripps advanced to third. Next, Farler grounded out, as Walker scored. The final nails saw Kenlee Taylor steal second, allowing Martin to score on error by the catcher, then Elaina Turner doubled on a line drive to center field, as Taylor scored.

Cripps was perfect on the mound, claiming the perfect 15-0 win. The righty allowed zero hits and zero runs over four innings, striking out three and walking zero.

DeKalb had three home runs on the day. Martin, Cripps, Johnson, Farler, Turner, Murphy, Griffith, and Hatfield all had one hit to lead DeKalb. The Tigerettes ran wild on the base paths with 13 stolen bases, with Griffith having three. They didn't commit a single error in the field. Madison Martin had six chances in the field, the most on the team.

The Tigerettes' game scheduled for the following day was rescheduled for a later date, but the girls were back on the field on Friday, April 2, at a tournament in Waverly, TN. The first day of the tourney would go the Tigerettes' way.

In their first game, DeKalb would face off against Obion County and grab an early lead.

Obion scored first, getting one run in the first inning, but DeKalb would jump ahead at their first at bat. Hatfield grounded out with a hit to shortstop, as Walker scored and Emma Johnson advanced to third. Next up, Griffith singled on a ground ball to second as Johnson scored. At the end of the first, the Tigerettes were up 2-1.

DeKalb would add another to the board at the bottom of the second, when, with two outs, Martin scored on steal of home, but Polk was then caught stealing second. The Tigerettes were up 3-1.

Obion would keep things interesting, scoring one run at the top of the third, and it would remain a one-point game until late in the fifth. It was then that Griffith doubled on a line drive to center field, knocking Hatfield in. Later, Farler doubled on a line drive to center field, as Walker scored, but the inning would end as Murphy was caught advancing to third. The Tigerettes were up, 5-2.

Obion County had one last chance, and would score one run in the fourth. It was not enough. DeKalb took the 5-3 win.

Bri Murphy earned the win with the right hander lasting six innings, allowing nine hits and three runs while striking out three and walking zero. Griffith went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead DeKalb in hits.

Later that same evening, the Tigerettes were back in action, this time against tourney host, Waverly Central. DeKalb would claim a win thanks to a walk-off double.

Waverly Central opened up scoring in the second inning, with a single on a 2-0 count, scoring one run.

Then, neither team seemed to be able to find their bats until the bottom of the fourth. Cripps lined out to center field, as Johnson scored after tagging up. DeKalb had finally got on the board, tying the score.

Their next at bat, Waverly added one more run, and added another at the top of the seventh.

The Tigerettes were down 3-1 as they came up to bat at the bottom of the seventh. Then, with two outs on the board, Walker hit a ground ball and reached on an error by first base, as Farler scored and Polk advanced to third. DeKalb cut the lead, 3-2.

After that, Polk scored on error by first base, as Walker advanced to second on the same error. Then, on an 0-2 count, Johnson doubled on a line drive to right field, as Walker scored. The Tigerettes took the 4-3 come from behind win.

Cripps was credited with the victory for DeKalb. She surrendered three runs on five hits over seven innings, striking out two.

The Tigerettes tallied seven hits, with Jacey Hatfield and Aniston Farler collecting multiple hits. Farler and Hatfield each collected two hits to lead DeKalb.

The following day the Tigerettes fortune seemed to change, as they suffered an 8-0 shutout by Mount Juliet. One bright spot for DeKalb was a single by Emma Johnson in the first inning.

Ellie Cripps took the loss for DeKalb, going two and a third innings, allowing five runs on four hits, striking out one and walking one. Johnson and Hatfield all had one hit to lead the Tigerettes.

That same evening, the Tigerettes would fall once more, this time against a tough Franklin team.

Franklin took the early lead, scoring three in the second inning, then two more in the third.

The Tigerettes didn't get into the game until the bottom of the fifth. After Franklin added another run at the top of the inning, Johnson singled on a line drive to center field, as Martin scored, and Polk scored on the throw. It would be the only points of the game for DeKalb.

Franklin would pad their lead with one more run in the sixth, taking the 7-2 win. Cripps took the loss for DeKalb, going five innings, allowing six runs on 11 hits, striking out two and walking one.

DeKalb tallied six hits, with Martin and Johnson each getting two.