LADY TIGERS DOWN ROYALS IN QUARTERFINALS

NEELYVILLE — A dominant performance at the plate from the Dobbins sisters led the Neelyville Lady Tigers to the next round of the district tournament.

The weather was nice and clear for some good softball action on Thursday as the Lady Tigers hosted rival Twin Rivers to kick off the Class 2 District 1 Tournament.

A first-inning explosion at the plate would help the Lady Tigers coast to the next round with a 10-1 win over Twin Rivers.

Senior Delayni Dobbins went 2-4 at the plate and had two RBIs with one home run. She said it felt great to kick off districts with a solid win.

“I feel like it's a really big win,” Dobbins said. “We expected the game to be pretty close because we played them twice during the season, and you just never know what to expect playing the same team for the third time. We came out and played together and stayed positive, so right now we're on the up and up, ready for the next game.”

Neelyville (14-9) entered the matchup with the upper hand after landing two wins over Twin Rivers during the regular season, 14-5 and 13-5. Despite the one-sided momentum, the Lady Tigers didn’t pull back any punches for an opportunity to advance.

Dobbins started the run for the Lady Tigers with a bomb home run over center field to bring in the first two runs. With the bases loaded, Addison Couch connected with a ground ball to bring in more runs, while a wild pitch brought in another, giving the Lady Tigers a 5-0 lead in the first inning.

While Twin Rivers scored a run in the following inning due to an error, The Lady Tigers continued to build on an already comfortable lead. They added more runs to their early lead in the bottom of the second inning after Resse Dobbins singled and September Preslar tripled, each scoring one run.

With a ground hit from senior Hannah Hover to bring in another run for Neelyville at the bottom of the fifth, Twin Rivers’ fate of making it to the next round was slim to none. For the next few innings, the Lady Tigers focused on defense to secure the win.

Preslar stepped in the circle first for Neelyville. The starting pitcher gave up three hits and one run (zero earned) over seven innings, striking out five and walking two. Alexis Parson led things off in the circle for Twin Rivers. The starting pitcher gave up 11 hits and 10 runs (seven earned) over six innings, striking out four and walking one.

Neelyville piled up 11 hits in the game. Reese Dobbins went 3-3 at the plate to lead the Lady Tigers in hits, while Couch had one hit with two RBIs. Reese Crismon, Emma Vancil, and Alexis Parson each collected one hit for Twin Rivers.

Neelyville’s head coach, Daniel Sexton, said the team knew not to come into the game with their guard down because it’s hard to beat a team three times.

“We were definitely taking them seriously,” Sexton said. “We played well, and things are starting to come together right here at the end. Stepping into the next game, we have to bring everything we got to advance once again. I’m very proud of everyone, but we must bring that same mindset to tomorrow's game.”

The Lady Tigers will hit the road Friday to take on the number two-seeded Kelly.

Reese Dobbins is confident that the team can capture the win if they come ready with the same energy they played against Twin Rivers.

“We just have to keep this momentum going,” Dobbins said. “We must stay positive in the dugout and keep our communication strong in the field. We need to stay together and work as a family. When facing a tough team like Kelly, you must play as a unit.”