Sommar Wright pitched six wins over the weekend, leading Ragland’s Lady Purple Devils to a first-place finish in the Woodland Park Tournament.

The Lady Devils, ranked third in state Class A standings, won six of the seven games they played in the tournament, and coach Jonathan Nix said it was the team’s best performance of the year.

“This was huge for us.  One through nine was hitting the ball hard all weekend.  For the first time all year, there was no weak link in our lineup.”

A five-run third inning boosted Ragland to a 7-1 win in the tournament’s first game against Ranburne, and the Lady Devils won the second game against Holly Pond when Kailey Echols batted in Paige Gann in the bottom of the sixth.

“This was the biggest game in the tournament,” Nix said.  “Holly Pond was ranked seventh in 3A.”

Ragland won the third game against Jeff Davis, 16-1, scoring 15 runs on 11 hits in the first inning.  “Everybody on the team had a hit,” the coach said.  “Lauren Wright saw three at bats in the first inning, going 2-3.”

The fourth game – a 6-5 win against Spring Garden – saw the Lady Devils recover from a 3-1 deficit to win the game in extra innings. 

Shelby County snapped a 13-game winning streak for Ragland, handing the team a 1-0 loss in the tournament’s fifth game.  “This was the only time where I felt we lost focus for a whole game,” Nix said.  “I was excited to see how we would respond after that loss.”

The Lady Devils recovered with a 14-5 semi-final win against Leeds.  “The fifth inning was huge for us.  We had seven hits with two doubles and one home run.”

The tournament’s championship game was a rematch with Shelby County, which the Lady Devils won, 8-5.  “The loss to Shelby County was tough, but I was proud of how they responded,” Nix said.  “I am very excited about our bats right now.”

Pitcher Wright threw a total of 39 innings, striking out 27 batters and allowing 40 hits.

Game 1

Emily Church, 2-2, 1 home run, 2 RBIs; Paige Gann, 2-3; Sommar Wright, 1-3, 1 RBI; Regan Campbell, 1-3, 1 RBI.

Game 2

Lauren Wright, 2-3; E. Church, 1-3, 1 home run, 3 RBIs; S. Wright, 1-2; Madison Oliver, 1-2.

Game 4

E. Church, 2-3; M. Oliver, 2-4; L. Wright, 2-3.

Game 5

L. Wright, 2-3.

Game 6

E. Church, 3-4, 3 RBIs, 1 home run; R. Campbell, 4-5; S. Wright, 3-5.

Game 7

M. Oliver, 2-4; R. Campbell, 2-3; Brittany Johns, 2-3, 1 RBI; J.J. Looney, 1-2, 1 RBI.