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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

VINCENT – After a strong showing in tournament play at Childersburg over the weekend, the Vincent Yellow Jackets continued rolling into their first seven-inning game of the season.

Vincent defeated the Central Cougars of Coosa County 13-4 on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at Vincent Middle High School to secure their fourth win in their first five games.

The Jackets started out the year hot, earning 8-6 and 13-1 wins over the Winterboro Bulldogs in a doubleheader on Friday, Feb. 14.

They took that momentum into a 7-3 win over the Class 3A B.B. Comer Tigers before falling to rival Childersburg after the Tigers rallied with three runs in the fourth to take a 9-7 win.

Vincent got around an early baserunner in the top of the first before a hit by pitch with one out set up Jaci Wallace for success. With Taniya Robertson on second off a steal, Wallace doubled to left to open the scoring.

The Jackets built off that lead in the bottom of the second as Harley King singled with one out before back-to-back runners reached on walks. Robertson cleared the bases with a triple to center and then came home off a Wallace RBI ground-out to make the lead 5-0.

Vincent kept rolling in the third, using an error on the lead-off batter to set up a Jaci Young double which scored Madisyn King and put the hosts up 6-0. Two batters later, Harley King reached base again, this time securing an RBI single after Young stole third.

While the next batter lined out for the second out, Ava Reese Waldrop doubled to left to score Harley King and increase the lead to 8-0 to end the frame.

The fourth inning came and went without a run, but Central got going in the top of the fifth thanks to a lead-off walk and a single. That turned into back-to-back RBI doubles and an RBI single after a hit batsman, and the runs slashed the deficit in half to 8-4.

Vincent responded in the bottom of the inning with a lead-off single from Natalie Schiller and a Harley King double, putting two runners in scoring position for Libby Howard. An error allowed her to reach and both runners to score, making the Jackets’ lead 10-4.

Two batters later, an error plated the 11th run, and two more batters after that, McKenzie Fields doubled on the first pitch she saw to score Jada Frazier and put her team up 12-4.

After Wallace struck out the side in the top of the sixth, a wild string of events in the bottom of the inning saw Schiller reach when she was struck by a pitch, advance to second off a wild pitch and score from there off a fly out to cap off the 13-4 win.

Harley King led the offense with a 3-for-4 day, finishing with two RBI and three runs. Robertson had three RBI and two runs in a 1-for 2 showing and Wallace went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Howard had two RBI and a run off the bench despite going 0-for-2.

On the mound, Waldrop and Wallace each finished with four strikeouts apiece

Vincent was originally set to face the Montevallo Bulldogs on Thursday, Feb. 20, but sub-freezing temperatures moved that game to Monday, Feb. 24 at 5 p.m. at Montevallo High School.