Oxford ousted on walkoff
- Updated: May 15, 2015
[corner-ad id=2]Lady Jackets fall to Cullman, Wetumpka in first trip to softball finals
By Brant Locklier
For East Alabama Sports Today
The Oxford softball season came to a sudden jolting end Friday night as Cullman’s Tiffani Schwaiger slapped a two-run walk-off homer with one out in the seventh to beat the Jackets 2-0 and knock them out of the Class 6A finals in Montgomery.
The Jackets (34-18-1) fell into the loser’s bracket with a 6-4 setback to Wetumpka in their opening game. Cullman landed there by blowing a three-run lead in the seventh against Saraland.
The home run by Schwaiger broke up a brilliant pitching duel between Oxford’s Jo Jo Skinner and Olivia Schwaiger.
Skinner had struck out eight and only allowed two base runners until the fateful bottom of the seventh. Oxford didn’t have much luck at the plate, either, as Taylor Ellison and Makenzie Trantham had its only hits.
The 6A finals continued with Southside nipping Chelsea 1-0 and Wetumpka beating Saraland 5-1 to move onto the finals of the winner’s bracket.
Cullman (30-14) will face Chelsea (18-13) and Saraland (38-8) will face Daphne (32-9) in loser’s bracket play Saturday morning. Daphne defeated Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 12-11 early Friday night.
The 6A playoffs have been one of the closest tournaments in recent years as each game has gone down to the last inning with both teams having a chance to win.
Oxford has only three seniors graduating this year and should be one of the favorites in Class 6A going into the 2016 season.
Wetumpka 6, Oxford 4
The Indians (39-7-1) took advantage of four Oxford errors to score three runs in the third and sixth innings.
The Lady Jackets jumped on the Indians with a run in the third inning. Amber Dempsey led off with a single and was sacrificed to second by Haley Lyner. Ellison followed with a single and Trantham singled home Dempsey.
The Indians got three runs in the bottom half of the third on big hits by Destinee Brewer and Savannah Reaves who combined for six of Wetumpka’s 10 hits in the game.
Oxford chopped the lead to 3-2 in the top of the fifth when Dempsey and Liner put together singles and Dempsey scored when the Indians booted Ellison’s ball.
With her team down 6-2, Lyner smacked a two-out homer in the seventh and Trantham later ripped an RBI double.
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