By Nick Nunn
Staff Writer

The Morgan County Middle School Softball team played Putnam County last Friday. They won the game 0-12 in four innings.
Morgan County only allowed one hit by Putnam in the game, which took place in the top of the first inning, and the runner was the second part of a double play that ended the top of the first.
The Bullpups started off strong in the bottom of the first and never let up.
Elizabeth Couch, the first batter for Morgan County, hit a single into left field. Alisha Ellis’ at bat looked like it was going to be the first out of the inning, but one of Putnam’s infielders dropped the fly ball, allowing Couch to get to third and Ellis to second.
Sarah Couch was the next batter up, and her double brought in E. Couch and Ellis.
S. Couch scored after a close play at the plate as a result of a double by Bryanna Mims two batters later.
The catcher for Putnam dropped the ball on the third strike of Maddie Kinnett’s at bat, so she was able to get on base and Mims was able to score.
Ansley Dan drove Kinnett in, but was part of the double play that ended the inning.
All in all, the girls scored five runs in the first inning, bringing the score to 0-5.
After a ground out, a strike out, and a caught fly ball, the Bullpups were up and ready to take to the plate again.
Leah Malcom and S. Couch each singled to start the inning, and Sydney Walker earned a base on balls, which loaded the bases for Morgan County.
Mims got on base after an error by a Putnam infielder, allowing Malcom to make it to home plate.
The bases were still loaded and the score was now 0-6 as Kinnett came to the plate to get ready for her at-bat. Kinnett hit a double over the head of the infielders into left field, which scored all of the runners that were on base.
Dean hit an RBI single that scored Kinnett, and Dean scored for the final run in the inning after a single by Avery Kirby. The score at the end of the second inning was 0-11
Neither team scored in the third inning, and Putnam was also shut out in the fourth, after Morgan County replaced almost all of its players with fresh athletes.
Sadie Worth got a hit to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning, and she was driven over to third by Morgan Robertson in the next at-bat. Lucy Blair Owen, the last batter of the game, brought the final run of the game with an RBI single.
With a 12-run lead in the fourth inning, the run rule came into effect, ending the game in the fourth inning. 
It was a big win for the Middle School Softball team as the end of their season nears. The eighth graders on the team were honored before their game against Monticello on Tuesday.
The team also has a tournament this weekend at Heritage Park in Madison.
According to Sarah Titshaw, coach of the Middle School softball team, “The tournament will start on Friday and continue through Saturday. We will play at 4:30 at Heritage Park on Friday.”  
The tournament will continue on Saturday morning, when the winners from the Friday night games will play at 10 a.m. to determine who will play in the championship game, which will take place Saturday at noon.

Printed in the September 27, 2012 edition