MONTGOMERY — Eighth-ranked Pleasant Home ended its 2010 season to regional foe Ariton, falling 3-2 Thursday night in the second round of the elimination bracket of the Class 1A State Softball Tournament at Lagoon Park.

To start the day, the Lady Eagles beat South Lamar 4-1 before falling to Lynn 7-4.

“It’s always got to end,” Pleasant Home coach Jimmy Reeves said. “Somebody’s got to win and somebody’s got to lose.

“We kind of ran out of gas,” he said. “I could kind of feel it, and I don’t think I did a good job of keeping the girls fueled. We just kind of ran out of gas. I probably should have pulled my pitcher (Emily Byrd) out a little earlier. She was playing her heart out, and did a great job.

“I want to take my hat off to Ariton,” he said. “They’ve done a good job and had a great year and they wanted it more than we did tonight.”

Ariton 3, Pleasant Home 2

Ariton’s Nicole McInerney was 2-for-3 with two singles and one run to help lead her team to the 3-2 win over the Lady Eagles.

Winning pitcher Haley Goodson allowed two runs on five hits and struck out four batters.

Pleasant Home took an early 2-0 lead in the second inning when Ashley Copeland and Gina Davis scored on singles.

Losing pitcher Emily Byrd allowed three runs on four hits and struck out five batters.

Ariton scored its three runs in the fifth inning.

Lynn 7, Pleasant Home 4

Pleasant Home tied the game up 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth inning, but couldn’t get the lead as the Lady Bears pulled away after the sixth inning.

Earlier in the first inning, Reeves was ejected from the game for arguing a call at third base.

He said he didn’t say anything that would’ve warranted an ejection.

“I just questioned a call and got thrown out of the game and screwed us up and our momentum up,” Reeves said. “I just take the blame for that, even though I didn’t say anything to get thrown out of the ball game.

“But, that’s the way it goes,” he said. “Sometimes you have these knuckleheads that are just so egotistical that just try to control the game.”

Lynn’s Ellie Pendley was 3-for-3 with three singles; Tiffany Self was 2-for-3; and Lindsey Tompkin was 2-for-4.

The Lady Bears shot out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the third inning on four hits.

Maggie Pendley and Brooke Hollis started with back-to-back singles, and then Reagan Tittle knocked a single to right to score Pendley and Hollis.

Tittle then scored on a single from Tompkin.

In the fourth, Davis started off with a single, and later came around on a single from Caitlin Jernigan.

Jernigan and Kayla Woods then scored on a single and an error, respectively.

Pleasant Home scored its last run in the seventh inning.

Woods was 2-for-4 with two singles; Byrd was 3-for-4 with three singles; and Megan Cook was 1-for-2 with one single.

Pleasant Home 4, South Lamar 1

The Lady Eagles scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on three hits, and one walk to get the first round win over the Lady Stallions.

But what got the game rolling for the Lady Eagles took place in the top of the fourth inning when Copeland executed a 2-3-4 double play on the Lady Stallions.

In the fifth inning, Kat Dozier led off with a double and later scored on a single by Woods to tie the game 1-1.

Jernigan then scored the run that allowed her team to take its first lead of the game on a walk to Robyn Weaver.

Copeland then hit a two-run single to score Woods and Byrd, who reached on a walk.

Winning pitcher Byrd allowed one run on seven hits, and struck out five.

In the top of the third inning, South Lamar scored its only run on a single by Karoline Holsonback.

Woods was 1-for-3 with one single, one run and one RBI; Byrd was 0-for-3 with one run; Weaver was 1-for-3 with one single; Copeland was 1-for-3 with one single and two RBIs; Dozier was 2-for-3 with one single, one double and one run; and Jernigan was 0-for-3 with one run.

On the season overall, Reeves said the team “exceeded expectations.”
“I would have never dreamed with the way we were playing midway through the season that we’d be here right now,” he said. “I’m really proud of this bunch.”

The Lady Eagles will graduate Davis and Woods later this month.

Reeves said they will be missed.

“Both of them have been in this thing five times since they’ve been here,” he said. “They’ve had great experiences and we’re going to miss them big time.”