By JD McCarthy
For the Opelika Observer
A young roster and a stretch of tough opponents caused the Beulah softball team to get off to a slow start in the 2021 season. However, the Lady Bobcats have grown up quickly and have won five straight games to improve to 10-10 on the season.
“It’s really great because we’re winning as a team,” said head coach Stan Pepper. “Each game it has been a different person stepping up. I’m really proud of the girls, they are always stepping up and playing well. I can’t say enough about our girls, they just work really hard and it’s starting to pay dividends for us.”
After finishing second in the Valley Tournament the Bobcats continued their good work winning all four of their games last week, three of which were by double digit runs.
They started the week off with a dominant 14-1 win over Opelika on Tuesday. The Lady Bobcats made sure the game was quickly out of reach, scoring five runs in the first and four more in the second inning. Kassidy Kirby continued her power surge, going 3-for-3 with two home runs and four RBI to lead the charge. Abrianna Green also hit a home run.
“That was a huge win for us,” Pepper said. “Whenever you can beat a team like Opelika it makes you feel good.”
The Lady Bobcats then travelled to Dadeville on Thursday for their second region game of the season and a much different game took place. Beulah needed two runs in the seventh inning to pull off the 3-1 victory and improve to 2-0 in the region.
“They played a really good game, and we were probably not as well prepared as we should have been and that’s my fault,” Pepper said.
This game was all about Katie Morris and Savanna Clements. Morris was lights out from the circle, allowing just one run over seven innings and striking out 13 batters.
Her great work ensured the game was tied headed into the seventh inning when Clements scored the game winning run on a single from Kirby. Clements’s good work wasn’t done either, as she made several great plays in centerfield to preserve the 3-1 lead.
“She’s the reason we won against Dadeville,” Pepper said of Clements. “She just took it upon herself to make sure we weren’t going to lose in the seventh inning, I’m really proud of her.”
The Lady Bobcats then faced off with Russell County on Saturday and made sure to “handle them like they were supposed to,” winning the first game 16-1 and the second 11-0.
They opened the day with a nine run first inning and never cooled off, scoring a run in every inning they batted across both games.
The first game was about Brandy Phillips who went 3-for-3 with two triples, five RBI and scored three runs. Green also had a big game from the leadoff spot, reaching base three times with a double and recording two RBI and three runs of her own.
Phillips, Kirby, Green, Clements and Kyleigh Morgan each drove in runs during the first inning onslaught.
In game two Clements and Green once again shined from the top of the lineup. Green went 2-for-3 with a double and scored two runs while Clements went 2-for-2 with a double, an RBI and scored three runs.
Green also made her debut in the circle and did not disappoint, striking out five batters in three perfect innings of relief work. Kirby started the game and allowed two hits over two innings with two strikeouts.
The Lady Bobcats continued their good work on Monday, beating Eufaula 2-1.
The Lady Bobcats faced Smiths Station on Tuesday, but results were unavailable at time of press.
The biggest games of the week are on Thursday and Friday when they play Reeltown and Dadeville, respectively. Both games are region games and will give Beulah a chance to improve on their 2-0 area record.
“We want to be better every day when we leave the field than we get on it,” Pepper said.