Lady Tigers split with Weiner

ARMOREL -- The Armorel Lady Tigers opened 1A-3 East conference play with a two-game split with league rival, Weiner, Friday afternoon at home. The two teams have battled for the conference title the past four seasons.

GAME ONE

Weiner 6, Armorel 0

Weiner starting pitcher, Jaden Malone, stifled the Armorel bats in game one helping her team shut out the Lady Tigers, 6-0. Malone allowed just three hits in five complete innings to pick up the win. Malone had just three strikeouts as the Lady Tigers made plenty of contact but rarely found the holes in the Weiner defense.

Armorel starting pitcher, Abigail McCauley, allowed just three hits as well but the Lady Cardinals managed to manufacture six runs out of them.

Weiner plated two runs on two hits in the top of the first to take an early, 2-0 lead over Armorel. They picked up two more runs on one hit in the third and scored two more on no hits in the top of the fifth.

Armorel only had two runners in scoring position the entire game. Their best threats came in the third and fifth innings thanks to lead off hits from Caitlynn Smith in the third and Amanda Skelton in the fifth.

For the game, Smith (1-2), Skelton (1-2) and Angel Huffman (1-2) led the Tiger offense.

GAME TWO

Armorel 3, Weiner 2

Armorel finally poked a few holes in the Weiner defense in game two and came away with a 3-2 win in five innings.

Abigail McCauley allowed just two runs on two hits while striking out three to pick up the complete game victory.

The Lady Tigers picked up four hits on Weiner starting pitcher, Jaden Malone, who went the distance again pitching four innings for the Lady Cardinals.

Caitlynn Smith sacrificed home Ashlynn Brees in the bottom of the first to give Armorel a 1-0 lead. Angel Huffman scored on an RBI single from McCauley in the second as Armorel extended their lead to 2-0.

Weiner threatened take control of the game in the top of the third. With the bases loaded and only one out, Weiner managed just one run to cut the Lady Tiger lead in half at 2-1. They could have scored a few more but Lady Tiger shortstop. Madison Carr made a nice, over-the-shoulder catch in short left field to end the inning.

Weiner tied the game in the top of the fourth but Armorel took the lead back in the bottom half of the innings. Carr's bases loaded walk scored Huffman from third giving the Tigers a 3-2 lead. McCauley retired the side in order in the top of the fifth to end the game.

For the game, McCauley (1-2 with an RBI), Huffman (2-2 with two runs scored), Brees (1-3), Smith (one RBI) and Carr (RBI and a run scored) led the Tiger offense.

Armorel improves to 5-8 on the year overall and 1-1 in the 1A-3 East conference. The Lady Tigers take on the Gosnell Lady Pirates at 4 p.m. on Tuesday at Armorel.

afitzpatrick@blythevillecourier.com