ELLISVILLE, Miss. – The eight-seeded Indians dropped their Region 23 Tournament opener to ninth-seeded Holmes Bulldogs, 6-5, in a game that hinged on a questionable call in the top of the eighth inning.
The Indians (29-17) rallied to force the game to extra innings after Sammie Day-Jones (Ragland, Ala.) ripped a triple (video) to score Sarah Kate Thompson (Myrtle), who started the inning with a single. Riley Tyree (Trussville, Ala.) followed with a ground ball to second that allowed Day-Jones to score (video) the tying run in the bottom of the seventh.
Day-Jones went 3-for-4 with a RBI and run scored.
Haylee Alberson (Hernando) struck out the first two batters in the top of the eighth before Holmes (28-19) answered with a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases. Allie Beckley (Pontotoc) scooped up a ball hit up the middle, dropped it and picked the ball up with her foot on the base before the runner slid into bag (video) … so it appeared. Instead, the second base umpired called the runner safe and after a conversation between the umpiring crew the call stood and the Bulldogs took a 6-5 lead.
Rayne Rippee (Sardis) singled to start the bottom half of the eighth, but a double play removed the tying run from the bases. Bailey Ware (Batesville) singled, but a bang-bang play at first ended the Indians' rally.
Rippee had a pair of hits as the Indians totaled 10 hits in the game.
The game started on Tuesday and saw the Indians take a 1-0 lead when Thompson scored on a Tyree sac fly (video) in the bottom of the first. Holmes answered to take a 2-1 advantage in the top of the third inning before Mother Nature forced the game to be suspended in after the fourth inning.
When the game restarted on Wednesday, Holmes took a 5-1 advantage with three runs in the sixth.
Julia Shaw (Hernando) smashed a single to center and was replaced on the bases by Bryanna Clemons (Eudora). Rippee followed with a blast over the right field wall (video) to make it a 5-3 game in favor of the Bulldogs.
The Indians are scheduled to face the loser between Co-Lin and Gulf Coast in an elimination game at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Visit the Region 23 Tournament Central site to keep up with results throughout the week.
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