Missed opportunities outmatched early scoring Tuesday as the Elkmont girls took on Lauderdale County High.
Elkmont’s Abbie Broadway was on the mound while Emma Russell was on the hill for the Tigers. After some early scoring by both teams, the Tigers held a 3-2 lead over the Red Devils going into the sixth inning, when they added two more to seal a victory of 5-2.

The Tigers’ Shila Marks led off the game with a triple, which was followed by an RBI single by Keaton Parker to quickly give them a 1-0 lead. Lauderdale County added one more in the inning when Alexandria Ritter beat the throw home from shortstop on a grounder by Emily Harbin to give them a 2-0 advantage.

Elkmont’s Paige Robinson got on base to lead off their side of the game after a walk by Russell. A sacrifice bunt advanced Robinson to second, putting a runner in scoring position with just one out, and Alyssa Harwell took full advantage with an RBI single, bringing them within one run as they entered the second.

After a couple scoreless innings, the Lady Devils tied things up at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth. Brilee Miller led off the bottom half of the inning with a single. After advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt, Miller came around to score on an RBI single from Ella Beddingfield. That would be the last run the Red Devils would score in the game.

“We gave up too many opportunities,” Elkmont head coach Mary Jane Hobbs said. “If you give up opportunities and don’t make plays, then you’re setting yourself up for lower than the mark you need.”

In the top of the fifth, the Tigers increased their lead to 3-2 due to errors and miscues by the Red Devils on defense, which included two errors and a passed ball. In the next inning, Ritter hit a two-out, two-run single to give the Tigers a 5-2 lead and the eventual victory.

“I knew they were going to be tough. They’re always tough, and it’s been a year since we played them because we were all in a pandemic,” Hobbs said. “I just don’t think we played our best game. I think we’re better than we played.”