Buddy Roberts
CNHI
Moody —
Moody’s elimination from the Class 5A state tournament last weekend has coach Amanda Ellis and a young team looking ahead to next year.
“We went further than we were expected to this year, and we have the attitude, the talent, the youngness, and the leadership to be back next year,” the coach said after the Lady Blue Devils (26-17) had lost to Springville, 2-1, in extra innings, ending their hopes for a state run this season.
After four scoreless innings, the Lady Tigers went ahead by a run, and Moody tied the score in the bottom of the sixth. Two Moody errors gave Springville the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth.
Candice Crutchfield and Lauren Gilmer had two hits each for the Lady Devils.
Moody had earlier lost the first game of the tournament to Hartselle, 1-0, in what coach Ellis referred to as a pitching duel between Meagan Young (14-12) and Hartselle’s Starr Kelsey. Each pitcher held the other team to two hits, with Moody’s coming from eighth grader Alexus Martin.
“We didn’t get outplayed in either game,” the coach said. “We just made some mistakes that hurt us.”
The Lady Devils improved on last season’s performance by winning the Area 7 and South-Central Regional championships this year, and Coach Ellis praised Miss Gilmer and Hannah Jaudon for “doing a great job leading the team.”
