For the Birmingham Lady Giants 02, pitching again lead the way on Saturday in the USFA state tournament, posting 2 shutouts and a No Hitter, limiting teams to just 16 hits in 6 games, while going 4-2 in the USFA State tournament and finishing 2nd for the 2nd time in 2 weeks. This is the 3rd time in 2014, the Giants have finished 2nd in a sanctioned state tournament.
With a small turn out for the USFA tournament, the Giants were matched with a Chaos team from Brookwood, Alabama. The Giants used a 7 hit, 8 run attack, and Blakely Burr (7-4) cruised through 3 innings of 1 hit softball for the 8-2 victory.
Offensively the Giants were led by Elissa Glaze (2), Ka’Mya Hampton(1), Lauren Cabiness (1,2b), Kim Livingston (1), Olivia Renta (1), and Mollie Freeman. In the second inning the Giants sent 12 hitters to the plate resulting in 7 runs.
In their second Pool play game, the Giants faced off with the High Intensity for the first
time all season. Olivia Renta went the distance, allowing just 3 hits and 2 earned runs, but the Giants failed to string enough hits together and lost 3-1. Offensively the Giants managed only 2 hits, Hadley Andrews (1), and Elissa Glaze (1).
With start of Bracket play, the Giants again were scheduled to play the Chaos. The Giants wasted no time in posting an 8 hit, 9 run first inning to take a 9 run lead and eventually an 11-5 victory. Chylynn “Chicken” Barnhill (3-0) went the distance earning the victory on the mound, striking out a Giants season high 7.
Offensively the Giants were lead by Chy Barnhill (1), Hadley Andrews (1), Elissa Glaze (2), Lauren Cabiness (1), Kim Livingston (1), Olivia Renta (1), Kinley Hall (1,2b), Mollie Freeman (1), Blakely Burr (1), and stranded only 1 Runner.
With Victory, The Birmingham Giants next moved on to play High Intensity again. Blakely Burr started the game, but left after 2 outs in the first inning after being hit by a line drive the the leg in the circle. Olivia Renta Took over and finished the game allowing just 3 hits over the next 3.1 innings, while striking out 6.
The Giants entered the final 2 innings trailing 7-1, but Mollie Freeman (2, 2b) led off the 3rd with a single, followed by a 1 out single from Elizabeth Wheat (1), and single from Hadley Andrews (1) and the Giants battled back to a 7-3 deficite going into the final frame. The Giants again began to battle, a lead off walk to Ka’Mya Hampton, a single from Kim Livingston, and walk to Olivia Renta and a single from Kinley hall and Double from Mollie Freeman, pulled the Giants to within 7-6, with 1 out but the Giants stranded the go ahead runs on 2nd and 3rd and lost 7-6.
With this being a double elimination tournament, the Giants fell to the losers bracket, to again face the Chaos, who they had previously beaten. Chylynn Barnhill made her second start on the mound, this time pitching 3 innings of 1 hit shut out ball as the Giants rolled easy 12-0 win and a date in the state championship game.
The Giants ammassed 11 Hits and 12 runs, including a 7 run 3rd inning to eliminate the Chaos. Hits from Chylynn Barnhill (2), Hadley Andrews (1), Elissa Glaze (2, 3b), Ka’Mya Hampton (1 HR), Lauren Cabiness (1), Olivia Renta (1, 3b), Kinley Hall (1), Mollie Freeman (1), and Elizabeth Wheat led to an easy win.
As she has done some many times in the brief history of the Giants 02 history, Olivia “Big Game Bob” Renta (12-6) took the circle and used her defense perfectly as she threw 9 ground ball outs, while striking out 4 and walking 2, enroute to her second No Hitter as a Giant, and the Clubs 8th in its history, and more importantly, the victory took the championship game from High Intensity, and forced a shoot out.
At the plate, the Giants had 5 hits, Elissa Glaze (1 2b), Ka’Mya Hampton (1), Olivia Renta (1), Kinley Hall (1) and 3 runs were all the Giants needed as the cruised to a 3-0 victory, forcing the Shootout.
In the “2 inning shoot out”, the Giants would manage to score only 1 time, and lost 4-1, and again finished 2nd in a state tournament for the third time this year, (NSA, USSSA, USFA). The Giants are off this weekend, but resume play on the 8th in the USFA World series.
