MONTGOMERY–One inning and one run were all that separated the Demopolis 13-15-year-old “Belles” All-Star team from the championship game of the Dixie Softball state tournament in Montgomery Monday night.

Unfortunately, Demopolis opponents Montgomery Gray stretched that one run to several in their half of the seventh inning, turning a narrow 3-2 lead into a closer-than-it-looks 9-2 victory to advance to the title game. Demopolis was eliminated from the tournament with their second loss and finished the tournament in third place.

After the loss, Belles head coach Yolanda Stewart told her team they had nothing to be ashamed of.

“I told them they played a good game,” she says. “That’s a good team they played and they hung in there.”

Demopolis tied the game in the third inning when Nicole Davis reached base and came around to score, knotting the game at one. After Montgomery Gray re-took the lead with two runs in the top of the fourth, Demopolis responded with a run of their own from Jasmine Simmons.

Demopolis pitcher Sara Davis kept the game close, shutting down Montgomery Gray in the fifth and sixth innings on her way to pitching the complete game and giving Demopolis a chance going into the seventh.

Stewart said of Montgomery Gray’s six-run seventh that several questionable calls did become “frustrating” for the Belles as they tried to stop the rally.

The only two teams to defeat Demopolis in the state tournament–Montgomery Gray and Muscle Shoals–are the same two who will meet for the championship Tuesday night.

Stewart wished to thank “everyone who supported the team”–including sponsors, parents, fans, and coaches.

Demopolis’s 13-15 year-old All-Stars are Jasmine Simmons, Morgan Patterson, Mahogany Jones, Sara Davis, Raven Simmons, Shay Smith, Savanna Osmer, Corey Gross, Lindsey Bedsole, Victoria Barley, Alex Ward, and Nicole Davis.