By Daniel Schmidt, For The Observer
MONTGOMERY – Full circle. It was a term Auburn High School head baseball coach Matt Hendricks used postgame to describe the feeling of victory as he soaked in the sight of his overjoyed team jumping around the turf at Montgomery’s Lagoon Park on Wednesday.Following the Tigers’ gutsy 1-0 victory over Enterprise High School – the same team eliminated them from the 2023 playoffs – to punch their ticket to the Alabama High School Athletic Association 7A state tournament, it appeared to be the perfect way to describe the scene.While there were a range of heroic performances throughout the two days, including timely hits from Daley Alsobrook and Alivia Harris quite literally putting her body on the line, one stood out in what was a complete team effort: sophomore star Lily Brewer’s pitching masterclass.After the game, a visibly emotional Hendricks praised Brewer for more than just her outing against the Wildcats.“She’s a competitor. She didn’t even know she had a no-hitter going until the end of the game. She works harder than any pitcher I’ve ever coached, and I’ve coached some really good ones, so I don’t say that lightly,” Hendricks said. “It takes a lot for a young kid to trust an old 44-year-old guy to call essentially the same three pitches the whole game. She never questioned it.”As a date with Daphne High School looming, AHS appears to be hitting its stride at the right moment. According to Hendricks, that is due to the team’s mental toughness and improvement in the game of softball’s finer points.“I’m proud of the no panic,” Hendricks said. “I’m so proud of my kids. I mean, just everything across the board. We earned a bunch of walks, we worked a bunch of pitches, we did things that we haven’t done well recently.”With the two victories and one defeat, the Tigers improve to 27-17 on the season, while EHS and Dothan High School end their seasons at 24-8 and 18-23-1, respectively.Game One: Enterprise 3, Auburn 0As the team that has proven to be a thorn in the Tigers’ side in recent years met AHS in the first round of the 7A Central Region tournament, things did not go well for the Tigers in the first round.Following two scoreless innings, the Wildcats took control of the game in the third inning by loading the bases. With three runners on and only one out recorded, EHS scored the game’s only three runs courtesy of a triple and an outfielder’s error.For a time, it appeared Brewer would keep AHS in the game through sheer force of will as she recorded three straight strikeouts in both the fourth and fifth innings to keep the Tigers within striking distance.Then, as the seventh inning began, AHS found itself with a golden opportunity to make it to the winner’s game after Harris led off with a double deep into right field. In the next at-bat, Abigail Helms’ ground out at first base allowed Harris to advance to prime scoring position at third base. The Tigers ultimately left her stranded after the Wildcats struck out the last AHS batter, ending the game and forcing the Tigers into an elimination game with DHS.Game Two: Auburn 8, Dothan 6The action immediately began as the two teams looked to fend off elimination and earn the right to play for a spot in the state tournament. Dothan opened the scoring after a DHS batter recorded a single, stole second base and ultimately made it home due to an AHS error.However, the Tigers quickly responded after Daley Alsobrook knocked a single into left field that brought Alicia Harris home from second base.Despite tying the game, the Tigers quickly ran into another obstacle as the second inning began: a proverbial death loop ensued as the Wolves loaded the bases and scored four additional runs courtesy of a double and three straight singles.Facing a daunting four-run deficit going into the bottom of the third inning, AHS did not buckle under the pressure and began what proved to be the game’s most crucial at-bat. To get the scoring going, Laina Rae Sawyer smacked a beautiful double into center field that brought Alivia Harris home from second base. Soon after, a single from Jada Esters into center field brought Reese Kelly and Sawyer home from third and second base, respectively. Mary Alderson Grace then rounded out the inning with a single down the first base line that scored Esters and Addison Clanton from third and second base, respectively.Despite losing the lead, the Wolves did not lie down, scoring another run in the fourth inning that tied the game at six apiece.With the season on the line, the Tigers then completely took control of the game in the sixth inning. After recording an RBI in the first inning, Alsobrook saved her best for last by smacking a towering two-run home run into center field that brought Brewer home from first base.After securing the lead entering the seventh inning, an excellent pitching performance from Brewer and steady infield play sealed the victory for the Tigers and set the stage for a rematch against the Wildcats.Game Three: Auburn 1, Enterprise 0After suffering from a sluggish start against the Wildcats the previous morning, the same problem did not plague the Tigers in the rematch. On just the second pitch of the game, Alivia Harris doubled deep into center field. That was just the beginning after a walk and a single loaded the bases with only one out. With all of the pressure on EHS’ pitcher, a walk at the next at-bat brought Harris home from third base. However, a controversial third strike call with a full count and two outs ended the Tigers’ early momentum.As the Tigers found themselves unable to secure a solid foothold on base, the second inning then belonged to Brewer, who struck out three straight Wildcats after walking the first batter.In the third inning, an offensive outburst allowed AHS to load the bases with two outs and put themselves in position to extend their razor-thin lead, but they were unable to convert any runs.The Tigers’ failure to score any runs then led to two nail-biting innings that saw a spectacular display of defensive softball from both teams.Then, it appeared EHS could score its sought-after tying run in the sixth inning after getting a baserunner to second with one out. Yet the AHS infield stood strong and secured two straight groundouts to ensure the Wildcats walked away with a stranded runner and nothing to show for their efforts.That defensive stand ultimately set the stage for a make-or-break seventh inning. After three straight outs, the unenviable task of defending the one-run lead fell to Brewer. In the end, Brewer upheld her end of the bargain by catching a fly ball that dropped straight over the pitcher’s mound and striking out the final two batters.What’s NextWith the four regional tournaments complete, the Tigers will be the No. 5 seed at the state tournament and face the No. 4 seed, Daphne High School, in the first round of the AHSAA state tournament. That game will be held on May 13 at 10:45 a.m. at Choccolocco Park in Oxford.The Trojans are currently 38-6 overall and ranked No. 5 overall in Alabama according to MaxPreps. DHS on average scores 7.6 runs per game and allows 1.9 runs per game.
