Lady Devils wallop Worth on Senior Night

Published 1:00 pm Friday, August 19, 2022

TIFTON — The Lady Devils of Tift County were looking for a little momentum Thursday evening on the softball field. It was Senior Night and Tift had been through a rough patch in the last week. Odds seemed against them; two losses in the past few days and a sizable chance of rain.

Head coach Taylor Barber pushed back the start an hour, hoping that would increase their odds of even seeing the field. It worked. Only a few drops fell and, after a two innings, the Lady Devils held a 10-1 lead over Worth County. The game ended after four frames via the mercy rule, at 15-3.

Every Tift starter scored at least once in the blowout. One-third were by the three seniors, Breanna Hernandez, Delanie Jewell and Angie Martinez

Seven of their 12 hits went for extra bases, including a homer by Bailee Williams and triples by Ella Bruce and Jewell.

As much as the Lady Devils overwhelmed their opponents, there was period of time where Worth held the lead. The Lady Rams were ahead 1-0 going into the bottom of the 2nd, courtesy of a double by Kasey Lunn that drove in Millie Wilson. The momentum ended there. Martinez thew out a runner at third attempting to move up on a wild pitch to end the 1st. In the 2nd, Jewell charged on a hit to center, easily nailing a Worth runner at the plate who had attempted to score on a single.

The defensive plays carried over to the plate and suddenly Tift could not be stopped at all.

Macy Hand was hit by a pitch to begin the bottom of the 2nd. She did not spend long at first, coming around on Jewell’s triple over the centerfielder’s head.

Tied at 1-1, Tift had to wait a minute to fully break through. Not because of any struggles, but because Worth lost the strike zone. Hernandez walked and Martinez was plunked by a pitch to load the bases.

Abigail Henderson delivered a two-run single to center to go ahead 3-1, then Bruce delivered both teammates on base with her triple. Loralee Bennett earned a base on balls then, with one out, it was a double by Gracee Wood for two runs.

Up 8-1 after Wood trotted home on a passed ball, Hand was at the plate again. She singled, which was followed up on by Jewell’s second hit of the inning, increasing the score to 9-1. Hernandez grounded out, but picked up an RBI of Jewell.

Lunn hit a two-run homer in the 3rd, closing the gap slightly at 10-3. Then Tift went to work again.

Bennett began the 3rd with a double. Williams made it easy for both of them on a homer to right. Hand walked, then was replaced on the bases by Jewell on a fielder’s choice. She stole second, enough to score on a hit by Hernandez.

Emily Rowe got through the 4th with no damage. Her teammates decided to finish the contest up a bit early. Bennett scored after walking before Hand walked it off by doubling in Wood.

Wood, Hand, Jewell and Henderson all had multi-hit games, with Bruce, Williams, Wood, Jewell and Hernandez driving in two runs each. After Worth, Hand is now hitting .600 for the season, with Bennett at .462. Wood leads the squad with eight RBIs, done so in 14 at-bats.

Rowe earned the victory in the circle, striking out five in her four innings of work.

Tift improves its record to 3-2 and will open Region 1-6A play Tuesday at home with a 5 p.m. game against Veterans.