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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

ALABASTER – The Thompson Warriors finished up area play on a high note with a dominant 14-0 win over the Tuscaloosa County Wildcats to honor their seniors on senior night on Wednesday, April 17 at Thompson High School.

Thompson got into a two-out hole in the bottom of the first, but Dailynn Motes then hit a solo home run to put the Warriors up 1-0.

Thompson found itself in a similar spot in the bottom of the second when the first two batters of the inning got out. However, a Nora Ellis single, a hit batsman and a Kelsey Burden single loaded up the bases on the next three at-bats.

That brought up Keara Hall who hit a single to kick off a chaotic sequence. An error by the Wildcats second baseman gave Hall three extra bases and cleared the base paths, scoring four runs and increasing the lead to 5-0.

Kayla Haney then held Tuscaloosa County without a base runner for the second straight inning, and the Warriors capitalized by putting two runners on with one out in the bottom of the third.

Ellis sacrificed herself with a bunt to advance both runners to scoring position, and Neely Davis followed that up with a two-run single to take Thompson’s lead to 7-0.

The Warriors had to deal with a bases-loaded jam in the top of the fourth, but Haney secured the final two outs of the innings to get out of the frame unscathed.

Hall started the bottom half of the inning with a single, and Motes quickly launched another home run to take the lead to 9-0.

While the next two batters got out, singles by Alexandra Bauer and Ellis and a walk filled up the bases once again.

A bases-loaded walk followed by a wild pitch scored a run apiece, and Burden then drew a walk to load back up the bases.

Ellis scored on a wild pitch to start Hall’s ensuing at-bat to make the score 12-0, and Hall plated a pair of runs with an RBI single to put Thompson up 14-0 to end the inning.

Autumn Ingle then came in for the top of the fifth and worked around two hits. With a runner advancing to home after a two-out single, Olivia Tindell made the throw to Hannah Hobbs to get the out at home and seal Ingle’s save and the run-rule win on senior night.

Ingle and Haney combined for the shutout as Haney took the win behind four scoreless innings where she allowed just four hits and a walk in the process.

Hall and Motes each finished with nearly identical stat lines as they went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs, with the only difference being that Motes scored both of her runs off home runs.

Ellis went a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate with two runs and Burden finished 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs.

Thompson will hope to improve on its 35-5 record ahead of the postseason as it competes in the Hoover Classic on April 19-20.