Enterprise State Community College’s Weevil Women’s softball team ended the regular season in much the same way as all the 2023 season went, dodging thunderstorms to play when they could.
Saturday, ESCC snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over visiting South Division foe L.B. Wallace in the opening game of a twin bill in front of a large crowd.
The teams were tied, 3-3, when a rainstorm halted play, in the second game’s third inning; when rain persisted, the game was recorded as a tie.
In Saturday’s first game, Kyleigh Coin led ESCC at the plate with three hits, a home run, a double and a single, two RBIs and a run scored, and Coin pitched a complete 7.0 innings, allowed eight hits, one earned run and a walk while striking out eight.
Offensively for ESCC, Shelby Allen singled, walked and scored a run; Lexie Glover singled and scored; Allie Busbee singled home a run; Rayleigh Thagard singled and walked; Bailey Jenkins singled, as did Zoe Veres, Emily Mitchell and Zoe Batton.
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In the abbreviated nightcap, LBW scored two runs in the second inning and one in the third and ESCC tied the score in the bottom of the third just before the game was halted.
In South Division final regular-season standings, Wallace-Dothan (22-6, 41-12-1) and Coastal Alabama-South (22-6, 32-23) tied for first place.
Bishop State (21-7, 33-25) was third, Coastal Alabama-North (15-13, 32-25) was fourth, LBW (11-16-1, 16-30-1) was fifth and ESCC (10-17-1, 19-35-1) was sixth.
Coastal Alabama-East (5-23, 11-41) and Chattahoochee Valley (5-23, 9-37) tied for the last two spots.
State TournamentEnterprise’s sixth-place South Division finish put the Weevil Women in the State Championship Tournament in Alabaster where they played Central Alabama Community College (19-13, 35-19) Wednesday, on the tournament’s single-elimination day, with four games played in Veterans’ Stadium.
Central Alabama finished third in the North Division.
The teams met twice during the regular season with Central Alabama winning both games.
The top two teams in both divisions received byes into the second-round, a double elimination series.
Wednesday, Enterprise broke out on top with a run in the top of the first inning and two more in the fourth, an inning that ended when a fly ball to right field appeared uncatchable but wasn’t. The EHS runner left third base too early and was called out ending the inning.
Another bizarre play, this one in the fifth frame, came after Glover singled and then was doubled up when a line drive off Coin’s bat was dropped at third base; the third baseman recovered, threw to second for one out and the relay forced Coin out at first.
Despite allowing three hits and four walks through five innings, Coin was breezing along until the sixth when a 2-run homer brought the score to 3-2.
Two more runners reached base after one out was recorded in the bottom of the sixth; a bunt loaded the bases; and a walk tied the score. A single then gave the Trojans their first lead for the day when two runs were plated.
After a walk reloaded the bases, Coin was replaced by Maggie Furr, who was touched for a grand slam home run that put the game out of reach.
After that, a walk, an infield single, followed by a single to right field ended the 11-run sixth inning, invoking the mercy rule with the score, 11-3.
Enterprise got four hits, all singles, two by Glover and one each by Coin and Busbee.
The loss ended the ESCC season.
