Rebels hold off Tuscaloosa County for area win
VESTAVIA HILLS -- The Vestavia Hills High School softball team made a three-run first inning stand up in a 3-2 win over Class 7A, Area 5 foe Tuscaloosa County on Tuesday afternoon.
“We needed that win,” said Vestavia coach Lissa Walker. “It puts us back where we want to be in terms of winning the area. We were a little more high-strung today because we lost to them last time.”
Like Tuscaloosa County’s win the first time the two teams matched up – by an identical 3-2 score – Tuesday’s contest was a low-scoring affair, although both sides had chances to put big numbers on the board throughout the day.
The Rebels (20-6-2) broke through only in the first inning, as RaeAnn King’s two-run double made it 2-0. King scored to make it 3-0 on Jessica Perley’s triple immediately following.
Vestavia Hills rapped 11 hits in the game, but left a pair of runners aboard in the fourth inning, left the bases loaded in the fifth and stranded two more in the sixth.
Tuscaloosa County had chances of its own throughout the contest, but Perley held the Wildcats at bay for nearly the entire afternoon. They loaded the bases in the first, fourth and sixth but Perley escaped danger each time.
The Wildcats made their only dent in the scoreboard in the seventh inning. With the Wildcats down to their last strike, the Rebels surrendered a two-run homer to left center field, cutting the lead to 3-2.
Kate Nash replaced Perley in the circle after another hit and retired the only batter she faced to notch the save.
Although Vestavia was unable to come up with the clutch hit to break the game open at any point, Walker was encouraged by the team’s offensive and defensive performance, notably a pair of nice catches by Kate Meloun in left field.
“We hit well and defensively, we played outstanding,” Walker said. “We made every routine play.”
Seven of Vestavia’s nine starters notched hits on the afternoon, with Merritt Cahoon, Ashley Dieguez, King and Perley each recording two hits. The two teams combined to leave 19 runners on base in the game.
Perley went 6 2/3 innings for the win, surrendering two runs on six hits, with five walks and six strikeouts.
With the win, Vestavia improves to 3-1 in the area, with another area game awaiting on Wednesday, as the Rebels travel to Hoover for a 4:30 p.m. contest.