Roni Tillery came to the plate with two down in the bottom of the eighth having gone hitless for the day but delivered a two-run walkoff home run to left to beat Alma 7-5 in Monday night’s season opener.
Tillery came up after Ellie Smith had moved Presley Walker to third with a bunt and Torie Nobles had also bunted but was also thrown out without Walker being able to score.
The Lady Bearcats first had to score in the bottom of the seventh to force an extra inning. They did so with Cam Parish bunting her way aboard for a single, moving to second on a fly ball by Peighton Montalvo and scoring on a one-out single by Farrah Stringer.
Though they would have two aboard at that point, the Lady Bearcats were unable to walk it off in the seventh.
Five Lady Bearcats had multiple hit days and Montalvo, Caroline Diffee, and, of course, Tillery, all had two runs batted in.
Smith (3-for-4) singled in the first Lady Bearcat at bat of the season and eventually scored on Montalvo’s first hit.
That combination also made it 2-0 in the third. An infield single by Smith started the frame and she promptly swiped second base.
After Nobles reached and Tillery walked, Montalvo grounded to short with Smith scoring.
Five of the first six Lady Airedales reached to start the fourth and four scored and a fifth inning error led to another run to give Alma a 5-2 lead.
The Lady Bearcats got two back in the sixth when Montalvo doubled to start the inning and moved to third on a single by Shelbie Myers.
Freshman Caroline Diffee plated pinch runner Makinley Ensey and courtesy runner Addison Elmore to make it 5-4.
Ensey had thrown the first five innings for the Lady Bearcats but had given way to Nobles, who threw the remaining three innings and gets credit for the win.
The Lady Bearcats are scheduled to play
