Rockdale Citizen

Staff Photo: Manny Fils. Eastside's Taylor Causey pitches the ball against Alcovy on Monday. Causey held the Tigers to two runs in the 7-2 Eastside win in Covington.

COVINGTON -- Eastside put on a display of how to play small ball as the Lady Eagles successfully used the bunt to score three of their seven runs in their 7-2 win over Alcovy on Monday.

"That's been one of our weaknesses so I'm very proud of how they bunted," Eastside coach Jason Stokes said. "We even had a squeeze. I'm very proud of the girls."

Although Alcovy (5-3 overall, 1-1 Region 3-AAAA) outhit Eastside (2-5) 10-9, the Lady Tigers were unable to capitalize.

"When they got a base hit, there wasn't anybody on," Stokes said.

Also hurting Alcovy's chances to put runs on the board early were base-running mistakes. Alcovy's runner got thrown out at second in the third inning after rounding the bag. The runner was unable to get back in time for the inning-ending double play.

Another base-running mishap occurred in the fifth inning when the runner was picked off at third by catcher Amanda Hawkins to end the inning.

"That killed two rallies right there," Alcovy head coach Monica Marks said. "When we have people on (base) we have to know that situation. We can't allow us to get thrown out in situations like that. We have to give ourselves opportunities to score, they're rally killers."

Although the Lady Tigers were not able to do much when they hit the ball, hit the ball they did.

Dallas Hardin and Lakeiyah Sorrells paced Alcovy with two hits each. The Lady Tigers' only extra-base hit, a double, came off the bat of Chelsea Murphy.

Getting two hits for Eastside were Erin Steele and Taylor Causey. One of Causey's hits, a double, plated two runners with Hawkins hitting the other extra-base hit.

"I think we have a better hitting team this year. The girls are older and more mature," Stokes said. "Overall, I feel like we're twice the hitting team we were last year."

Eastside scored a run in the first and second inning before building a comfortable lead, scoring three runs in the fifth to take a 5-0 lead.

Alcovy got on the board in the bottom in the sixth, but Eastside was able to respond with two more in the top of the seventh.

The Lady Tigers were able to get one back in the bottom of the seventh but Eastside's defense was able to get the final out leaving the bases full.

"We gave them a couple of runs there, gift wrapped," Marks said. "We didn't play particularly well. We just didn't get the key hits; we hit the ball, we just didn't play well."