The South Lamar High School softball team will honor the memory of one of its former players when it plays host to the Lamar County Tournament.
South Lamar will remember Madison Orr, who was killed in an automobile accident March 30, 2009.
Orr was a seventh-grader who was killed on Highway 17 between Millport, Ala., and Reform, Ala., while returning home after school.
“We”re going to have a moment of silence for her before the tournament starts,” South Lamar coach Tony Seals said.
The tournament is scheduled for all day Friday at South Lamar in Millport, with the championship game at 4 p.m.
Second-seeded South Lamar and third-seeded Lamar County will play the opening game at 10 a.m. The winner will play top-seeded Sulligent at 11:30 a.m.
Sulligent doesn”t have a junior varsity team, so South Lamar”s and Lamar County”s junior varsity teams will play for the county championship at 1 p.m.
The varsity tournament will resume with an elimination game at 2:30 p.m.
South Lamar was scheduled to play host to the Lamar County Tournament last year, but it was canceled due to Orr”s death.
“We took a whole week off with no games until the funeral (April 4, 2009) had been had,” Seals said. “We were off for a whole week at this time last year.”
South Lamar will play on its field for just the second time this season in its first game in the tournament. The Lady Stallions played their first home game Wednesday when they played host to Sulligent.
South Lamar beat Sulligent 3-2 to tie the Lady Blue Devils for the best record in games played between the three county teams, but lost a coin flip with Sulligent to determine the No. 1 seed.
The Lady Stallions (7-6) played their first 12 games of the season away from home.
“It”s going to be a big mental boost because we”ve been traveling so much,” Seals said. “We”re ready to play and see what we can do. We”re just excited to get to play at home.”
Seals is looking forward to having pitchers Laken Hancock and Kendra Wilson healthy for the tournament.
Hancock is recovering from tendinitis in her shoulder and a bruised tendon in her elbow, while Wilson is pitching again after being involved in an automobile accident and having her appendix removed.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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