By Bart Moss

For the FCT

In the final week of the season, Vina’s young softball team continued to improve, picking up an 11-10 win over Brilliant.

In the bottom of the first, Abby Hester singled and scored on a sacrifice by Brooke Brown.  Kaitlyn King walked and scored on a single by Erica Cantrell. Cantrell came around to score on a wild pitch. Hester singled again in the second and scored on a double by Brown, giving Vina a 4-0 lead.

Brilliant cut the lead in half in the top of the third to 4-2.

Cantrell scored in the fourth on a hit by Ashleigh Thompson. Hester, Brown, King and Cantrell all scored again in the bottom of the fifth to give Vina a 9-2 lead.

In the last inning with two outs, disaster struck for Vina. Brilliant walked two and had three hits along with three errors. When the smoke cleared, Brilliant had taken the lead over Vina 10-9 heading into the Red Devils’ last at bat.

Hester singled for her third hit of the game, and Brown walked. A double steal and then a single by King tied the game. Cantrell singled in Brown for the win.

Cantrell was also the winning pitcher, picking up her eleventh win of the season for Vina.

On the last day of the season, Vina played Hackleburg at Hackleburg. Abby Hester singled to start the game, stole second base, moved up on a sacrifice by King and scored on a sacrifice by AnnaBelle Upton. The 1-0 lead held until the bottom of the fourth when Hackleburg scored two runs on two hits and two errors by Vina. Hackleburg’s pitcher only gave up a double to Brooke Brown for Vina’s only two hits of the game. Vina’s defense turned three double plays in the last three innings, but Vina would come up short, losing 2-1.

In the three game set at Hackleburg, Vina played cross-county rival Phil Campbell. The Bobcats scored in the first and third innings to take a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the third, Baylee Hutcheson was hit by a pitch, and pinch runner Sarah Johnson scored on a double by lead-off hitter Abby Hester. Hester tied the game 2-2 when Kaitlyn King singled her in.

In the top of the fifth, Abby Davis walked and scored for Phil Campbell on a triple by Leah Jackson and a double by Brittany Harris that extended Phil Campbell’s lead to 5-2. Hester singled and King doubled in pinch runner Johnson to cut the lead to 5-3 in favor of Phil Campbell. Brooke Brown and Kim Stevens would be in scoring position in the last inning for Vina when the final out was made.

Vina’s defense would also make three double plays in the losing effort against Phil Campbell.