By Jeff Devine, Dale County Chronicle
ARITON—It was the battle of cats versus dogs on Saturday as the Ariton High School Purple Cats showed no mercy, rolling to a 13-0 victory over the Geneva County High School Bulldogs.
The game was highlighted by a dominant offensive outburst in the third inning, where Ariton scored eight runs to take control. Key contributions came from Wells Ganey, Easton Kilpatrick, Bryson Rhett, and Conner Davidson, each driving in runs through timely singles, a groundout, and capitalizing on a pair of Bulldogs errors. Kilpatrick even plated a run after being hit by a pitch during the inning.
Ariton got the scoring started in the second inning when Davidson doubled down the left-field line, followed by a sacrifice fly from Hayes Hammock that brought in the first run.
Brodie Lowery was a standout at the plate for Ariton, recording three hits, including a double in the fourth and two singles earlier in the game. Ganey and Davidson each contributed multiple RBIs, helping Ariton sustain pressure throughout the game.
On the mound, Ridge Hicks earned the win with three strong innings, allowing only one hit and striking out two without issuing a walk. AJ Gutierrez came in for a save to close out the shutout. Geneva County’s Jase Turner took the loss, giving up four runs over two innings.
Defensively, Ariton was flawless, recording no errors and showing sharp fielding, led by Ganey, who handled six chances. The Purple Cats also made their speed a weapon, swiping four bases over the course of the game.
Geneva County managed only two hits, with Caden Hutching and Strickland providing the lone offensive highlights for the Bulldogs.
Ariton will next face the Saint James Trojans on Monday in what promises to be another key matchup.
