On Sunday July 13 the Birmingham Lady Giants completed their first season, ending with a record of 31-25-1, 5 1st or 2nd place trophies and a second place finish in the state tournament in Millbrook, Alabama.
In the First game of pool play the Giants faced a team from Alabaster, and after a 4 inning defensive struggle, a couple of mistakes late, the Giants fell 3-0. Olivia Renta (24-20) went 4 innings giving up just 2 earned runs and allowing 4 hits in the loss. Offensively, the Giants matched thier opponents hit for hit, posting 4 of their own with no strike outs, but stranded 7 runners. Hits from Lauren Cabiness, Olivia Renta, Cassi Williams, and Ka’Mya Hampton were not enough as the Giants dropped the first game 3-0.
In Game 2, The Giants played a Haywire team they had beaten 2 other times this season. In hard fought battle, that would eventually end in a tie (3-3), the Giants got 3 strong innings from Skylar Street, who went 3 innings, walking 3 and allowing 3 hits in the tie. Offensively the Giants were lead by Abby”sticks” Kellogg, Emily ” Red” Shirley (2 Hits), Ka’Mya “KMac” Hampton, but again stranded 5 more runners, leaving the game in a tie.
At 0-1-1 in pool play, the Giants seeded 5 in the first round of double elimination, and were scheduled to play the CC Attack in their 3rd game of the day. In yet another hard fought close game, the Giants managed just 3 uns and were beaten 4-3, dropping them into the losers bracket, from which they would make one of their pattened runs that would lead to the state title game. Again managing just 4 hits ( Abby Kellogg, Emily Shirley(3b), Kim Livingston, Mollie Freeman) and stranding 6 more runners, ensuring the outcome. Olivia “Bob” Renta went 3 strong innings allowing 2 hits and striking out 2 with no earned runs in the loss ending the Giants play on saturday.
When Charles Dickens wrote “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” , he must not have had the Lady Giants in mind, because he would have realized he had in completely backwards, and the Lady Giants arrived at the Park Sunday, surly, like an old wounded and cornered Grizzly, looking to fight, and fight they did.
In The first game on sunday, with season ending elimination looming over their heads, the Lady Giants faced off against Auburn Excitment. In a game that really took 1 inning to decide, the Giants coasted to an 11-2 victory. 2 shut out innings from Olivia Renta, and 1 strong inning from closer to be Ka’Mya Hampton and hits from Abby Kellogg, Lauren Cabiness, Emily Shirly (2, 1b& HR) KA’Mya Hampton, Kim Livingston (2 Hits), Mollie Freeman (2 Hits) , and Elizabeth Wheat, and most importantly the Giants reversed the trend from Saturday, stranding NO runners enroute to the 11-2 victory. Advancing to play the second round of the bracket play.
The Hit and Run team from Montgomery were the next team to stand in the way of the Lady Giants and their goal, but not for long. Again mounting a 13 hit attack, (Abby Kellogg, Laurn Cabiness, Emily Shirly (3b), Ka’Mya Hampton, Kim Livingston (2), Kinley Hall (2 Hits, 3b) Olivia Renta, Cassi Williams, Maci Harris, Elizabeth Wheat (2), stranding just a single runner, leading to an 11-2 victory. Olivia Renta 3 strong innings again on the mound, going 3 innings, striking out 3 while walking just 1, and Ka’Mya Hampton closed out another game pitching the final inning of the 11-2 victory, leaving the Giants just 1 win from the championship game.
For their 3rd game of the day, with sudden season ending death looming behind each pitch, the Giants again faced a Haywire team that had battled them to a 3-3 tie of Saturday. This time the outcome would be different, as the Ginats mounted a 10 hit attack, stranding just 2 runners on the way to another 11 run output and an 11-1 victory. Offensively the Giants were lead by Abby Kelloogg, Emily Shirly (3, 3b), Mollie Freeman (2, 3b) Kinley Hall, Olivia Renta, Elizabeth Wheat and Hadley Andrews. On the mound Olivia Renta went 2 innings, allowing 1 Hit, while striking out 1 and no runs, and Ka’Mya Hampton finished off the games final 2 innings to preserve the win and advance the Giants to the state title game for the First time in Lady Giants History and the 5th in Organizational history, to again play a team from alabaster Alabama.
In the sweltering heat of the 4th game of the day and 7th in 2 days, the Lady Giants fought Valiantly, battling exhaustion and heat. Unfortunately, the fight and desire were just not enough to overcome a team that had played just 1 game on sunday and in just their 4th in 2 and the Giants came up on the short end of a 7-2 score. Managing just 4 hits, Emily Shirley (2), Mollie Freeman (2b) Kim Livingston, and stranding 3 runners. Olivia Renta pitched 3 innings allowing 6 hits and striking out 1, allowing 4 earned, and Ka’Mya Hampton finished the games last inning, and the Giants finished 2nd.
While all the Giants played well this weekend Emily Shirley finished the tournament 11-16 with a Home Run and 3 triples and Mollie Freeman, Kim Livingston and Abby Kellogg all registered 5 Hits each and Elizabeth Wheat had 4. Olivia Rents pitched a total of 17 innings, allowing just 14 hits, striking out 7 walking 2 and 6 earned runs. Defensivly the middle combo of “sticks and Stubbs” nearly turned 3 double plays on the ground, and as a team the Giants did turn 3 (Kellogg to Hall, Kellogg to Hall, and Wheat to Hall)
The Lady Giants finished their season on Hallowed Organization ground, surpassing the Giants season win mark of 29-5 (2011) with a 31-25-1 mark in their inaugural season. Kiley Barton in her first season as Giants head coach said, “I couldn’t be prouder of these ladies, they work so hard, they have done everything we have asked and then some, I love them all.” Offensive coach Clint Cabiness said of the team “We could not have asked for a better group, and I expect next season to be better still.” Practice Coach Sean McGuire said of the group, “These are special girls, they have bought in completely to everything we wanted to do, from defense to pitching, to offensively. The Defensive part came somewhat easy, but offensively, learning to slot our elbows and not cast hitting the ball where its pitched took time and is still a work in progress, but we are getting better. This was my first season in softball, and really being around a group of Female athletes, and each one of these girls made it so easy to do this. To watch a record that I didn’t think any team would break fall, and knowing how special that team was, makes the season these girls just had even more special, but what I am most proud of is we took most of these girls from teams or off the wire that had been burried behind other players, cast as seconds or 3rds, or casted off completely and they just melted into the system and became part of something stronger than a group of individuals, they became a teamand a good one, and more importantly than that, friends”, he finished by saying, ” Kiley and Clint were outstanding this season, we could not have asked for a better team of coaches to lead these girls, and we know Kristie will be great with our new 01 team as well”
The Giants are still looking for an 01 coach for the 01 team to coach with Kristie Harris.
