VINEMONT, Ala.- The Vinemont Lady Eagles hosted county foe Cold Springs on Thursday, looking to right the ship after uncharacteristic losses in four of their last six contests.
Vinemont’s star pitcher Tori Vines took the mound, facing off against Cold Springs’ Addie Kilgo.
Leading the game off for Cold Springs, Aleah Addison tapped a grounder to start a play that ended with her on second as a result of an error. After a walk and a ground out, Addison made it home thanks to another error later in the inning before Vines got out of the early jam. In their half of the inning, Vinemont’s bats more than made up for their defensive mistakes against Kilgo. With two runners on from Cold Springs errors, Bryleigh Basinger got a runner in with an RBI single to tie the game up at one and left a runner on. Alaina Sandlin then popped a ball up, which was dropped, initiating an error-filled play for the Cold Springs defense that got two more runners home and a 3-1 Vinemont lead. Later, with two outs and having gone through the entire batting order, Vinemont would go on to score five more runs, with the last two coming home thanks to a double to center field from Kylie Metzger. The disastrous bottom of the first for Cold Springs’ defense ended with the ladies from Bremen in an 8-1 hole.
Cold Springs’ bats didn’t wait long to get in on the chaos. After Vines struck out Kotie Calvert in the leadoff spot, a pair of singles from Sadie Smith and Addie Kilgo got them on base, then Peyton Kennedy drove them both home with a single of her own. Addison would then get on base with a single that advanced Kennedy to third. Then Sydney Ingram slapped a liner to center field, clearing the bases and making it an 8-5 game, with Vinemont still leading. In the bottom of the second, Kilgo got three outs in four batters to hold the score.
In the top of the third, Vines pitched a one-two-three inning, striking out one then drawing two ground-outs. Then, Vinemont went back to the plate to stretch their lead. Basinger and Aleeyah Holmes both drove in runs with doubles, and Vines knocked in Basinger with a single, making their lead 11-5.
After a scoreless inning-and-a-half, Vinemont’s offense found a groove again in the bottom of the fifth. With Kennedy now on the mound for Cold Springs, Metzger got things going with a double, then got driven home by Basinger just moments later to make it 12-5. Then, in a jam with the bases loaded, Kennedy walked Darcy Carmack forcing in Arleigh Thomason to make it 13-5.
Vines, now on her sixth inning, got in a jam of her own. After a walk and a single, an error by Vinemont’s infield allowed Calvert to touch home, then an errant throw got Kayleigh Light in to make it 13-7. With batters on and pressure building, Kennedy drove in a runner after a walk, then Ingram drove in two more just moments later to make things truly interesting with the score now 13-10. Cold Springs would get one more run in on a Cheyenne Bishop single to head into the seventh trailing only 13-11. In the bottom of the sixth, Vinemont was unable to add to their now-slim lead, going three up, three down.
In the top of the seventh, Vines put the hopes of a comeback to rest, striking out one batter and drawing outs on a pop up and a grounder to end the game.
Leading Vinemont’s bats, Basinger finished the game 4-5 at the plate, bringing in three runs. On the mound, despite 11 eight earned runs, Vines earned the win and fanned six Eagles.
For Cold Springs, Kennedy’s three hits in four appearances led the team, and her three RBIs were second to only Ingram’s four. On the mound, Kennedy was tagged with the loss after giving up two earned runs in three innings.
Vinemont will next take on Brindlee Mtn. tomorrow night, and Cold Springs will play Cleveland on Monday night.
