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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

SYLACAUGA – The Vincent Yellow Jackets had a strong showing for themselves in tournament action over the weekend as they secured three victories in B.B. Comer’s single-day showcase on Saturday, March 8.

After defeating Montevallo 15-0 on Thursday, March 6 and falling 15-5 to Shelby County the next day, Vincent capped its busy stretch with a 3-1 tournament record, defeating the Fayetteville Wolves, Talledega Tigers and Handley Tigers ahead of a loss to Ohatchee.

In the first game of the tournament against Fayetteville, the Jackets fell behind 1-0 in the top of the first off an RBI ground out. That proved to just be the start of the offense as a pair of RBI singles and an RBI double in the top of the first put the Wolves up 5-0.

Vincent needed a big response and got it in the form of six unanswered runs. That started in the bottom of the third as a lead-off double by Ava Grace Waldrop turned into a run off a Maggie Walker hit and error.

The next two batters walked to set up a two-run double from Madisyn King, cutting the deficit to 5-3 in the process.

The Jackets would then load up the bases in the bottom of the fourth, but they were reduced to two outs shortly after. However, back-to-back walks tied up the game before Natalie Schiller got the go-ahead run off an RBI single to secure the 6-5 win.

Waldrop and Walker each went a perfect 3-for-3 as Walker got two runs and Waldrop had one herself. McKenzie Fields was 2-for-2 with a walk and a run and King finished with a team-high three RBI.

In the next game against Talladega, it was Vincent that got the upper hand early on. An RBI single in the top of the second by Jada Frazier put the Jackets up 1-0 ahead of back-to-back RBI doubles from Schiller and Harley King over the course of three pitches.

The offensive onslaught wasn’t finished though as Waldrop took the lead to 4-0 two batters later before an error brought her home for the fifth run of the inning.

The Jackets continued to keep the Tigers offense quiet through the top of the fourth, and that was when they rallied out of a two-out hole. Daniah Jordan came home off a wild pitch ahead of a Waldrop RBI double, making the lead 7-0.

Talladega responded in the bottom half of the inning though, using a pair of run-scoring hits to slash the deficit to 7-3.

Frazier took the lead back to five in the top of the fifth with her second RBI single of the game, but the Tigers wouldn’t go down quietly. They hit three-straight singles to start the bottom of the fifth and plated two runs off errors to cut the gap to just three with no outs.

However, Gracie Phillips forced three outs on the next five pitches to end the threat and secure the win. She battled through 11 hits and a walk in five innings to allow just three earned runs.

Waldrop, Fields and Frazier all finished 2-for-3 as Waldrop had two RBI and one run while Fields had a run and Frazier earned an RBI and a run.

Vincent then got into an offensive duel against Handley in its third game of the day. The Jackets went right to work as they turned a single and hit by pitch into a three-run home run by Fields in the top of the first.

However, the Tigers responded in identical fashion, using a single and a free base runner to set up a one-out, three-run home run to tie the game at 3-3 at the end of the first.

Vincent quickly loaded up the bases in the top of the second off singles from Harley King and Kylie Newton ahead of Waldrop getting hit by a pitch. King would then score on a wild pitch ahead of a bases-clearing RBI single from Walker, taking the lead to 6-3.

Walker would then come home two batters later off a wild pitch for the 7-3 lead.

After holding Handley scoreless in the bottom half of the frame, the Jackets capitalized off a pair of miscues in the top of the third to go up 9-3 off an error and a wild pitch.

The Tigers roared back in the bottom half of the inning with three run-scoring hits that produced five runs and made it a one-run game going into the fourth.

Vincent once again loaded up the bases in response and scored again. Harley King initially plated one run with an RBI single, but it became two after an error at first base. That preceded a hit by pitch and an RBI single from Waldrop to put the Jackets up 13-8.

Handley made one last stand in the bottom of the fourth thanks to an RBI double and a run off a fly out, but Vincent got the next two batters out to dispatch the scoring threat.

Harley King was a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs and an RBI, Waldrop went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs, Fields finished 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs and Newton was 2-for-2 with a run.

However, the Jackets’ run through the tournament ended in a 9-0 shutout loss to Ohatchee. Vincent kept the game in a scoreless tie through two innings before nine runs in the final three innings became too much to overcome in a three-hit performance from the Jackets offense.

Vincent would drop its Monday, March 10 game at Childersburg 4-2 and is now 12-6 on the season.