By By Adam Robinson – sports editor
Eight state championships in 13 years and the defending state champion-that resume is what the T.R. Miller Lady Tiger (13-17) softball team faced Tuesday afternoon when they traveled to Montgomery to face the Alabama Christian Academy softball team in the sub-state round of the softball playoffs.
The Lady Tigers faced Alabama Christian's Lauren Webster who had thirty strikeouts, two shutouts, three hits, and a perfect game one against the Lady Tigers in both games.
The Lady Tigers season ended with a doubleheader sweep to the Lady Eagles by scores of 1-0 and 4-0. Alabama Christian (33-12) had won state championships in 1995, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2007.
Webster (29-8), Alabama Christian's pitcher, pitched both games for the Lady Eagles and threw a perfect game in the first game while recording 16 strikeouts, allowing only three hits in game two and striking out 14.
Senior Rachel Bostic took both losses on the mound for the Lady Tigers. Bostic allowed one run (none earned) while striking out one, walking one and allowed four hits in six innings in game one.
In game two, she allowed four runs on six hits, struck out one and walked two in five innings. Leslie Nalty relieved Bostic and went two innings allowing three hits.
Nalty, Natalie Neal and Keyetta Jones picked up the only hits in the series. All three hits were single and all came in game two.
T.R. Miller will lose only three seniors in Jones, Bostic and Nalty.
In game one, there was not much offense for the Lady Tigers or the ACA Eagles for that matter.
The Lady Tigers failed to reach anyone on base. Webster faced the minimum batters as 16 of the Lady Tigers batters struck out.
Bostic held Alabama Christian Academy to only two hits through four innings of play before the Lady Eagles scored an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth to claim a 1-0 lead and the win.
In game two, Nalty picked up the first Lady Tiger hit in the two games with a single in the bottom of the first inning with two outs, but the Lady Tigers failed to score.
In the top of the second inning, ACA loaded the bases but the Lady Tiger defense keyed a force out at home to keep the game at a 0-0 tie.
In the top of the fourth inning, ACA benefited from two singles and a fielder's choice in the inning to claim a 2-0 lead and then added two more runs in the top of the fifth inning to take a 4-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Lady Tigers of Brewton got their second and third hits of the game.
Neal led the inning off with a single and Jones added a single with two outs, as Neal tried to score but was threw out at home as Alabama Christian Academy claimed the 4-0 win.