By Charles Prince

The North Jefferson News



FULTONDALE — The Lady Wildcat softball team got their 2008 season off on the wrong foot as they dropped a home game to the Dora Lady Bulldogs, 7-4, Monday night.

The game was marred by three controversial calls by the umpiring crew, which appeared to aid the Dora cause.

Two calls at the plate allowed two Dora runs to score and a runner interference call in the bottom of the sixth inning took the steam out of a 3-run Fultondale rally.

Lady Wildcat eighth grader Cadi “Boo” Oliver took the loss despite dominating the Lady Bulldog hitters at times.

Oliver (0-1) threw a complete game, allowed seven hits, walked two, hit one batter and struck out 11. She allowed four earned runs.

Oliver struck out the side in the second and had two strikeouts in the first, third and fourth innings.

Dora led 2-0 in the second inning, when the Lady Wildcats got on the board.

Catcher Haley Hill walked to open the bottom of the frame and moved to second on Chelsey McComb’s single to center field.

Shelbi Smith then drove Hill home from second as she reached on a fielders choice.

Dora added two runs in the third, two more in the fifth and added a single run in the sixth inning to increase their lead to 7-1.

The Lady Wildcats would then rally for three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Shortstop Britani Howell led off the inning and reached base on a walk. Then Hill crushed a fastball over the fence in left center. The ball cleared the fence by at least 10 or 15 feet.

“I think it was a fastball I hit, but I’m not completely sure,” Hill said. “But I did know I had hit it well.”

One out later, Smith singled and moved to second on Molly Brown’s bunt single. Megan Westbrook then reached first on an error, loading the bases. Monica Roscoe then hit a ground ball that bounced off the foot of Dora’s pitcher.

The ball rolled toward Brown as she was running to third base. Brown stopped and was run over by the Dora shortstop, while Smith raced home from third with the Lady Wildcat’s fourth run.

The umpires called interference on Brown, calling her out and forcing Smith to return to third base. The bases remained loaded.

Oliver then singled in Smith to cut the lead to 7-4. The rally ended when Camden Mars failed to reach first on a ground ball to the outfield grass to the second base side.

Oliver then set the Lady Bulldogs down in order in the top of the seventh, but after Hill walked to lead off the bottom of the inning, the Lady Wildcats couldn’t muster any more offense as they lost their season opener for a second straight year.

Hill went 1-for-2 with two walks, two runs scored and two RBIs. Smith went 2-for-3 with a double, a run and a RBI. Kelsey Hubbard went 1-for-1, Westbrook went 1-for-2 and Brown, McCombs and Oliver all went 1-for-3.