Olivia Ergle tossed her third no-hitter of the season for Tharptown on Tuesday, and the Lady Wildcats rode a seven-run first inning to a 14-1 rout of area rival Hackleburg.
Ergle, who had previously no-hit Addison on February 23 and Phillips on March 6, struck out nine Lady Panthers on Tuesday and walked just one, giving up a lone unearned run in the top of the second. Tharptown (5-9 overall, 2-0 in Class 1A, Area 13) was firmly in control by that point after batting around and putting up seven runs in the bottom of the first.
Catie Dawson and Shaylee Wieting each had a two-run double in the big first inning, and Aly Vandiver also drove in a run with a double.
Ergle, who had struck out two batters in a one-two-three top of the first, got two more quick strikeouts to start the second before hitting a batter. An error by the Lady Wildcats then allowed Hackleburg to score its only run of the game.
Tharptown got that run back in the bottom of the second when Brooke Daily doubled and scored on a single by Dawson to make it 8-1. Ergle struck out two more Hackleburg hitters in a one-two-three top of the third, and Wieting scored a run in the bottom half to make it 9-1.
After Ergle worked around her only walk of the day with two more K’s in the top of the fourth, the Lady Wildcats tallied five more runs in the bottom of the inning. Davina Minzey had an RBI single, and Taylor Cameron cleared the bases with a three-run double to make it 14-1.
Catie Dawson finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored, raising her season average to a team-leading .571 (16-for-28). Ergle was 2-for-3 with a run, and Ameliah Dawson also had two hits. Wieting was 1-for-1 with a double, two RBIs, three walks, three runs scored and two stolen bases. Daily reached base all three times she batted, finishing 1-for-1 with a double and two runs scored.
Linda Bahena walked twice and scored two runs, and Aly Vandiver was 1-for-2 with an RBI double and a run scored.
