Lady Bulldogs end season at state

By Bart Moss / For the FCT

The Belgreen Bulldogs picked up one win in their first-ever trip to the state softball tournament but in the end were eliminated by Addison.

The Bulldogs lost their first state tournament game to South Lamar 7-5, sending them to the elimination bracket to face Isabella.

Belgreen’s elimination game against Isabella was a run-fest.

Belgreen scored ten runs in the second inning to erase an early 7-0. The Bulldogs led Isabella 12-10 after four innings and 16-11 going into the sixth inning. They extended their lead to 20-13 and went on to beat Isabella and keep their tournament hopes alive.

Belgreen faced Addison in the next elimination game. Addison took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but Belgreen answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning on a two-run single by Camie Terrell.

Addison extended their lead to 6-2 in the second inning. Belgreen stranded two runners in the bottom half of the second inning, squandering an opportunity for more runs.

Both teams scored three runs in the fourth inning, giving Addison a 9-5 lead. Belgreen missed another opportunity to get more runs, stranding runners on base.

Trailing 9-5 in the fifth, Belgreen loaded the bases thanks to some Addison errors and walks, eventually scoring three to pull to within one run, 9-8.

Addison added two runs in the sixth to make the score 11-8 and three more runs in the seventh to make it 14-8. Addison went on to win and eliminate Belgreen from the tournament.

“It was a great season for us,” said Belgreen coach Chris Scott. “These girls accomplished a lot this year. We struggled to start the year, but we played good softball down the stretch and won some big games.

“I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished this year and look forward to a big year next year.”