Wesson’s Lady Cobras ran out of gas in their last game at the South Jones Softball Tournament, falling 5-3 to Sumrall. WHEN?

The cool, breezy winds didn’t help either team — routine plays were anything but routine. The outfielders had to constantly move around in order to get under the ball, even when catching the ball cleanly wasn’t a guarantee. The winds would cause both teams to make errors, and those mistakes — combined with stellar pitching from Sumrall — was the downfall of the Lady Cobras.

“We are very proud of the win,” said Sumrall Lady Bulldogs coach Dodie Robertson. “Wesson is a very good team. We got our bats going today. We’ve been kind of off on our hitting, but today we got them going.”

Sumrall scored the first run of the game. Lily Robertson got the Lady Bulldogs started with a leadoff double, and later scored off a RBI sacrifice by Abagail Thexton before the Wesson girls could get out of the inning.

Sumrall threatened to add to their lead in the second inning when Caleigh Morris connected with a two-out triple, but the Lady Cobras were able to strand her on third base, getting a much-needed ground ball out.

The Wesson girls broke onto the scoreboard in their half of the second inning. With two outs, junior Shaylin Green reached safety with a single. Sophomore Natalie Bonds nailed a triple to bring Green all the way in from first base, tying up the game.

The Sumrall girls reclaimed the lead in the top half of the third, scoring two runs. With one out, Robertson hit a double. Thexton followed with an RBI double. Facing two outs, Rachel Green brought Thexton across the plate on an RBI single that found its way into the outfield before the Lady Cobras recorded the final out.

The Lady Bulldogs added to their lead in the fourth, bringing in one run. With one out, Morris hit a double. Autumn Burkhaulter brought Morris in on an RBI single. Karley Russell found her way onto base, connecting with a double, but was stranded when the Wesson girls managed to record the final two outs.

The Lady Cobras added another score in their half of the fourth. Both sophomore Katie McSweyn and Green made their way onto the bases with singles. The Wesson girls would score on a wild throw to first base, but the Lady Bulldogs would get out of the inning, throwing Bonds out at third on a botched hit-and-run.

The Lady Bulldogs scored their final run of the game in their half of the fifth inning when Thexton nailed a leadoff homerun. The Wesson girls were able to get out of the inning, getting two fly balls and a ground out, giving themselves a chance to come from behind.

Batting in their half of the fifth, the Lady Cobras would score their final run. Sophomore Shelbi Maxwell reached first on a single and, after stealing bases, scored on a pitch that sailed past the Lady Bulldogs catcher.

Freshman Laynee Crapps, pitching all seven innings, took the setback on the rubber for the Wesson girls.

Brianna McCray pitched all seven innings for Sumrall and picked up the win.

Story by Dave Linton