Darlings advance to district

By Andy Brown

Published: July 3, 2008

The Eufaula Dixie Darlings did it the hard way, but they did it.

A 24-13 loss to Brantley Saturday at the Dixie Darlings Sub-District B tournament sent Eufaula into the losers’ bracket. In order to win the tournament and advance to the District VI tournament in Greenville, Eufaula needed to win three straight games, including two against Brantley in the championship round. It did – with a little help.

“I gave them all chocolate before the (Tuesday’s first) game,” Eufaula head coach Keith Spivey said with a laugh.

Eufaula went on to scored a 25-13 win against Brantley Tuesday night and force a second and deciding game. It won that contest 29-18.

“It was a total team effort,” Keith Spivey said. “Every girl on this team contributed to the win. You don’t score 54 runs without everyone hitting the ball.”

In the first game, Brooke Morris and Ahveon Richardson were both 4-for-4 at the plate to pace Eufaula’s offensive attack.

Sydney Williams, Jodie Spivey, Annie Laura Clayton and Breashya Lockhart were all 3-for-4 in the win.

In game two, Jodie Spivey, Williams, and Morris were each 4-for-4 to help Eufaula secure the tournament title.

Maggie Caldwell, Morgan Grant, Susanne Hudspeth, Lindsey Andrews, Clayton and Richardson were each 3-for-3.

Eufaula advanced to the championship round of the tournament by edging Troy 17-14 Monday night.

Jodie Spivey, Richardson, Caldwell and Clayton were each 3-for-3 in the win, while Morris, Andrews, Lockhart and Marhonda Hunter were 2-for-3 at the plate.

While Eufaula got hits when it needed them, it was the squad’s defense that won the game, according to Keith Spivey.

“We played great defense,” he said. “Our bats weren’t quite as good as they have been. We still scored 17 runs so they weren’t bad, but it was really our defense that made the difference. Everyone played well, and anything they hit back to the pitcher Jodie just sucked up and shut them down. It was great defensive effort all around.”

Eufaula will be back in action Saturday when it opens District VI tournament play against Geneva. The winner of that game will advance to face tournament-host Greenville at 6 p.m.

“We’re ready,” Spivey said. “The girls have played hard and worked hard and we’ve had great fan support. It’s been awesome, and we’re excited to keep playing and move on.”