The Birmingham Giants notched their 3rd straight 20 win season on saturday in the USFA state tournament in Trussville, Alabama, finishing with a 4-2 record in 3rd place. The 4th Time in in the last year the 02 Giants have turned in a top 3 finish at one of the tournament trails state tournaments. Ka’Mya Hampton’s 2 no hitters and Hadley Andrews’s walk off triple helped the Giants reach the Semi Final game yet again this year. The 02 Giants were the only team to beat the eventual winner and the top seeded team.
In game 1, the Giants faced off with the eventual winner, the Cleats from Trussville , Alabama. Despite an early defensive misque that cost the Giants the only run they would allow the cleats, the 02 Giants rattled off the next 4 runs of the game for the 4-1 victory. Blakely Burr (8-5) pitched all 5 inning in the circle to pick up the victory, allowing just 4 hits while striking out 3. At the plate Hadley andrews (1), Lauren Cabiness (1,2b), Elissa Glaze (1), Ka’Mya Hampton (1), Kim Livingston (1), Alli Parker (1) and Blakely Burr (1) all had hits for the Giants. This marked the Giants 10th win all time against the cleats and the 9th by the 02 squad.
In the first game of bracket play the Giants faced off with the Renagades from North Port, Alabama. Ka’Mya Hamton(10-1) tossed the clubs 18th no hitter all time, picthing all 4 innings, striking out 5, allowing just a single unearned run in the first inning. The Giant bats started slowly, but hits from Elissa Glaze (her 60th this season, adding to her club record), Blakely Burr (1) and Kylie Cordell (1) were all the giants needed to go along with the 4 walks handed out by the renegade pitchers. The win advance the Giants to the second round to play the pacers.
In the 2nd round game the Giants faced off with the Pacers from North Alabama. The Giants scored the first run of the game to take an early 1-0 lead, but one more run was all they would manage in the 7-2 loss. Blakely burr struck out 2 in 3 innings of work, but 5 unearned runs did the Giants in. Offensively the Giants were led by Hadley Andrews (2), Lauren Cabiness (2), and Mollie Freeman (1). The loss put the Giants into the Losers bracket to play the Alabama Thunder.
It was an over matched lopsided affair from the first pitch, which Hadley Andrews hit into the right centerfield alley for a lead off double, and the Giants never looked back in the 11-0 win. Hits from Hadley Andrews (2, 12b), Lauren Cabiness (2, 12b), Elissa Glaze (1), Ka’Mya Hampton (1), Kinley Hall (1, 2b) Kim Livingston (1), and Mollie Freeman (1) paced the Giants 9 hit, 4 walk attack. In the Circle, Ka’Mya Hampton tossed her second No hitter of the day and 4th all time, working 3 innings, striking out 2 and walking 2 for the win. This was the Giants 19th no hitter all time. The win advanced the Giants to the next round to face off with the top seeded TKO team from Loxely, Alabama.
TKO took an early 3-0 lead , as the first 5 hitters reached base, but KA’Mya Hampton entered the game and threw 4 pitche5 to end the threat, including a 1-2-3 double play . She would not allow another a hit or run the rest of the game, as the Giants pulled off the thrilling 4-3 comeback victory. After the first inning 3-1 deficit the Giants stepped to the plate in the second inning, and Ka’Mya Hampton led off with a double, followed by a run scoring single from Kim Livingston to cut the lead to 3-1. Entering the 4th inning, with the Giants still trailing 3-1, Lauren Cabiness singled to start the inning, followed by Elissa Glaze’s single to move runners to second and third with 2 outs, and Kim Livingston at the plate with a 3-2 count, on the pay off pitch, she doubled to the Left Center field alley scoring both runs and tying the game. After a scoreless 5th for TKO, the Giants Blakely Burr led off the bottom half of the final frame with a single, and after a fielder choice Alli Parker replaced her making her way to second on a 6-3 ground out by Kylie Cordell, and Hadley Andrews at the plate and the winning run on second. On the first pitch to Andrews, she hit a long drive into the right center field alley to drive Alli Parker home with the winning run on a walk off triple, and a Giants 4-3 victory, and a birth in the state semi final game.
In the Semi final game the Giants again faced the Pacers, the only team they did not beat on the weekend. After scoring first on a single from Hadley Andrews the Giants would not score again, and led the game 1-0 for most of the game, until the Pacers came up with 2 runs to take a 2-1 lead and the final score of the game. Ka’Mya Hampton, went the distance in the circle, allowing just 3 hits while striking out 2 and her only 2 earned runs of the day. Offensively the Giants were led by Hadley Andrews (1), Elissa Glaze (2, 12b), and Alli Parker (1).
After finishing second in the USFA, NSA and USSSA state last season the Giants finished 3rd in this tournament. The 02 Giants are on the road next weekend, playing the Cam Sports NIT in Columbus Georgia.
