The Birmingham Lady Giants 02 softball team became the first ever Birmingham Giants team to compete in a World Series tournament this weekend, competing in the B class World Series, the Giants faced Teams from Alabama, Georgia, Florida. Finishing with a record of 3-2-1.
The Giants kicked off their World Series competition against a team from Niceville Florida, High Intensity-Navy. The Giants wasted no time in jumping on their neighbors from the south. In the first inning after 2 walks to the Mash Sisters, Elissa Glaze and Ka’Mya Hampton, Lauren Cabiness
picked up the Giants first ever World Series hit, a triple into the right field corner, scoring 2, and eventually scoring on a single by Kim Livingston, and the Giants grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first inning, a lead they would not relinquish. The Giants Scored in the second inning on Back to Back doubles by Mollie Freeman and Blakely Burr.
Olivia Renta(15-7) went 3 strong innings, allowing 3 hits and striking out 2, and Blakely Burr (8-4) closed out the game for the Giants, with a 6-2 victory.
Offensively the Giants were led by Elissa Glaze (1,2b), Ka’Mya Hampton (1), Lauren Cabiness (2,3b), Kim Livingston (1), Olivia Renta (1), Kinley Hall (1,2b), Mollie Freeman (1, 2b), and Blakely Burr (1,2b).
In Game 2 , the Giants faced the Gamers from Georgia, a very solid team, the gamers lead for all but 2 minutes of the game. In the bottom of the 4th inning, the Giants having played a hard fought game, but still trailing 2-0 came to the plate for their final chance, with time running out. Unfortunately for the Gamers, they had to go through the Mash Sisters. Elissa Glaze led off the inning with a sharp single up the middle, and stole 2nd and 3rd, with Ka’Mya Hampton at the plate and a 3-0 count, Mash Sister Hampton launched the next pitch into Giants lore, and all the way to the right center field wall on a hop, racing around the bases for a game tying home run as time expired.
Blakely Burr went 3 strong innings, allowing 2 hits and 1 earned run, and Olivia Renta closed out the game as the Giants escaped with a 2-2 tie. Offensively the Giants were lead by Elissa Glaze (1), Ka’Mya Hampton (1,HR), and Blakely Burr(1).
In their first game of bracket play, the Giants faced a familiar opponent, the Vortex from Vestavia. Olivia Renta started the game, going 3 innings, allowing just 2 hits and 1 run, and Blakely Burr closed out the games final inning.
Offensively the Giants were lead by Chy Barnhill (1), Lauren Cabiness (1), Kim Livingston (1), Kinley Hall (2), and Blakely Burr (1). The Giants managed 6 hits, and stranded 6 runners and came up on the short end of a 2-0 score.
The Carrolton Georgia Crush were next up on the bracket for the Birmingham Giants, and led the Giants for 2 1/2 innings 4-0. In the bottom of the inning, one half of the Mash Sisters struck again. After tripling earlier in the game, Elissa “Doughnut” Glaze launched a 3 run Home Run, to cut the deficit to 4-3. The Giants then held the Georgia team in the top half of the 4th, and trailed 4-3 going into the bottom of the last inning with the season on the line. Lauren Cabiness led off the final inning with a single, and then stole 2nd and moved up to third on a single by Blakely Burr, and after an intentional walk to Kim Livingston to load the bases, Olivia Renta doubled in the the go ahead runs for the walk off hit and Giants win 5-4. In the second inning with runners on 2nd, Lauren Cabiness turned in a spectacular diving stop at 3rd base to keep the run from scoring and keep the score at 4-0.
Blakely Burr started the game in the circle, allowing just 1 hit and 1earned run, and Olivia Renta closed out the final 2 innings for the win, and the Giants advanced to Sunday.
The Giants offense was led by Elissa Glaze (2, 3b, HR), Lauren Cabiness(1), Blakely Burr (1), and Olivia Renta (1,2b).
Surviving to Sunday, the Giants first opponent was a team they had beaten earlier in the fall, White Lightning 02.
The Giants took an early 4-1 lead going into the bottom of the 3rd, but white lightning battled back and by the end of regular innings, they had tied the score at 4. International tie breaker rules began with the top of the 5th, and Kinley Hall started the inning at 2nd, and moved up to 3rd on a single from Mollie Freeman. After 2 strike outs, Elissa Glaze stepped to the plate with a chance to win the game, but before she could, a wild pitch scored not 1 but both Giants, to give them a 6-4 lead. After scoring 1, white lightning had a runner on 3rd with 2 outs, when they tried an ill-advised delayed steal of home, which the Giants easily sniffed out on an Olivia Renta to catcher Lauren Cabiness throw, who blocked the plate for the final out and the win.
Olivia Renta went 5 innings for the win, allowing 2 hits while striking out 4. Chy Barhill (1), Lauren Cabiness (1), Kim Livingston (2), Kinley Hall (1, 2b(Club Record 11 in 2014), Mollie Freeman (2, 2b), and Blakely Burr(1,3b) led the Giant to victory.
In the second game Sunday, the Giants again faced the High Intensity from Florida, this time with a slightly different result. High Intensity after being embarrassed on Friday night, came into Sunday looking for payback. In the first inning they jumped on the Giants for 3 runs, which the Giants quickly answered in the bottom of the first with 3 of their own. 3 unearned runs in the second did the Giants in, as they would not score again, stranding 6 runners the rest of the game and eventually falling 7-3.
Offensively hits for the Giants came from Hadley Andrews(1), Elissa Glaze(2), Ka’Mya Hampton (1), and Kim Livingston (1).
Blakely Burr started the game, going 2 innings, allowing 3earned runs, and Olivia Renta closed out the final to scoreless innings ending the Giants season as the Giants fell 7-3.
The 02 Birmingham Giants finished their inaugural season 58-38-2, winning 9 trophies, and finishing 3rd or above 15 times in 21 tournaments.
