Honaker bid farewell to the Black Diamond District with a win over rival Grundy in its final BDD game.
The Lady Tigers, who will be playing in the Hogoheegee District next season, defeated the Lady Wave 7-2 in the tournament championship played last Saturday night on their home field at Honaker Elementary/Middle School.
“It’s a nice end to our time in the BDD,” Honaker coach Donavon Helton said. “Again, I can’t say enough about the work these ladies have put in this year, and now we will go forward as the No. 1 seed in the Region 1D Tournament as we continue to work on the small things in the game that will win games for you.”
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It was the third matchup in a week between these two BDD heavyweights and the second meeting in as many nights. Honaker defeated Grundy in a BDD playoff game, with the top seed and opportunity to host a first-round Region 1D Tournament game on the line.
The familiarity of Honaker’s talented lineup with Grundy ace Savannah Clevinger led to a huge night offensively for the Lady Tigers. They scored seven runs on 15 hits in the win.
Grundy was scoreless until the third, partially due to solid defense from Honaker, which achieved what the Lady Wave could not — timely outs to avoid lengthy innings.
Grundy put together several good at-bats in the top of the third and tied the game at 2-2 as Taylor Bostic and Madeline Deel each drove in a run.
Honaker left fielder Lincoln Bush sparked a rally in the bottom half of the third with a leadoff double. A Madalyn Dye single brought home Bush as Honaker regained the lead, 3-2.
Honaker’s Rylee Rasnake got in on the action, laying down a perfect bunt that brought home Dye from third, extending their lead to 4-2. Then Honaker ace Gracie Shelton doubled, and teammate Emma Ray drove courtesy runner Jaiden Thompson home to give the Lady Tigers a 5-2 lead.
Honaker added a couple more runs in the bottom of the sixth, putting Grundy away for good.
Shelton was the difference-maker for the Lady Tigers. The freshman not only pitched a complete game, allowing only one earned run on seven hits with one walk and four strikeouts, but she was also perfect at the plate, adding a 3-for-3 day.
“I am super thankful for my team and how they performed,” Shelton said. “We went in confident and wanted to win. What helped me throughout the game was my teammates cheering me on. The girls are very supportive and helped me mentally, knowing I have an amazing defense to work behind me. Everyone pitched in, and that’s how we got the win against Grundy.
“I am so happy we got the win against Grundy and I am so happy we got to win one more BDD championship for the seniors. It has been an honor to play with this team this year.”
Bush was another key piece to the win. The freshman went 3 for 4, with two RBIs and one run scored.
“Our team was really focused on winning our last BDD Tournament,” Bush said. “Everyone on the team contributed to the win, and we look forward to playing in the Region 1D Tournament next week.”
Catcher Anna Dye had one of her best games this season. She was perfect at the plate, going 3 for 3 with one RBI and one run scored.
Clevinger took the loss for Grundy, allowing seven earned runs on 15 hits, with no walks and no strikeouts for the Lady Wave. Tiffany Deel was one of the only bright spots offensively as the standout catcher went 3 for 3 with one walk and one run.
“Friday’s game just didn’t go our way,” Grundy coach Bryan Looney said. “We couldn’t get our rhythm going at all. We made some great plays and still played great, but made some mistakes that we just couldn’t recover from. It just wasn’t our day. We know what we need to work on this week, and I feel confident that we can still win some games.
“We’ve come a long way this season and achieved some goals we had set. We have a big week ahead of us, but these girls have shown me they are willing to work for it.”
Honaker will enter the Region 1D Tournament as the BDD’s No. 1 seed, followed by Grundy as the BDD’s No. 2. Twin Valley will go in as the third seed.
GRUNDY 000 200 0 — 2 7 0
HONAKER 113 002 X — 7 15 1
W-G. Shelton (7.0) and Dye
L-S. Clevinger (7.0) and Deel
HR-none.
