Ardmore pitcher Jacob Reed didn’t feel like he pitched his best game against West Limestone on Monday evening. But with the defense the Tigers were playing, he didn’t have to.

Reed allowed just three hits in a complete-game performance as the Tigers defeated the Wildcats 4-1 in a game that was decided by one big inning.

“I think I could definitely be better,” Reed said when assessing his performance. “But my defense played great behind me and that really carried me.”

Ardmore committed just one error in the game, and made several great defensive plays, from a sliding catch in right field by Bryson Rolin to an outstanding backhanded snag of a hard grounder by third baseman Nick Embrey.

Reed said defense is a huge confidence-booster for a pitcher.

“When you don’t feel like you have to strike out every hitter, it helps a lot,” he said.

Ardmore scored the first run of the game in the top of the second inning when catcher Blake Wallace hit a double. Wallace’s courtesy runner, Landon Martin, advanced to third on a groundout and then scored on an illegal pitch.

West Limestone threatened in the bottom of the third, with the first two batters of the inning reaching base by a walk and an error, but two fly outs and a strikeout ended the threat.

Ardmore expanded the lead with three runs in the top of the fifth, thanks to two base hits and two errors.

Barnett reached on an error to start the inning before moving to second on a wild pitch. Hogan Whitt then had a bunt single to put runners at the corners. Barnett scored on a single by Embry before another error plated a second run and an RBI groundout by Reed ended the scoring.

West Limestone wouldn’t go quietly, as the Wildcats ended the shutout attempt in the bottom of the sixth, thanks to a two-out RBI single by Jesse Rose.

West also threatened in the bottom of the seventh when a walk by Bayle Owens and a single by Brandon Owens put runners on first and second with two outs and brought the tying run to the plate.

Alec Baugher hit a hard line drive but, unfortunately for the Wildcats, it was right at right-fielder Rolin, who made the catch to end the game.

Wallace and Whitt each had two hits for Ardmore to lead the offensive attack. Drew Beddingfield had a single for West Limestone (0-3), in addition to Owens’ and Rose’s hits.

“Jacob pitched really well and the defense played really well,” Ardmore coach Andrew Smith said. “We made all the plays. Jacob kept the ball down in the zone and got a lot of ground balls, which is what we want.”

Ardmore improved to 2-4 with the win, which is not a sterling record, but much better than the 0-7 record the team started out with last season before advancing to the semifinals of the Class 5A playoffs.

“The past few years we’ve struggled early and then come on late offensively, so hopefully that’s what we’re trending toward,” Smith said. “Hopefully, it happens a little bit earlier this year than it has before.”