Lady Wildcats Split Games at Bob Jones Classic

Trigg County wins opener but falls to Athens in nightcap

Apr. 3, 2026 at 4:38pm

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An abstract, cubist-style painting depicting a softball game broken down into sharp, overlapping geometric shapes and planes in a vibrant color palette, conveying the energy and intensity of tournament play.The Lady Wildcats' split performance at the Bob Jones Classic reflects the ups and downs of a competitive softball tournament.Florence Today

The Trigg County Lady Wildcats split their first two games at the Bob Jones Classic in Alabama on Thursday. Trigg defeated Grissom, Alabama, 8-1 in the opener, but lost to Athens, Alabama 9-1 in the nightcap.

Why it matters

The Bob Jones Classic is an important early-season tournament that allows the Lady Wildcats to test themselves against strong competition from across the region. How they perform in this tournament will help determine their seeding and expectations for the rest of the season.

The details

In the opener, Trigg County jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning and cruised to an 8-1 win over Grissom. Lily Eagleson and Maddie Smith drove in multiple runs. Tember Oliver improved to 9-0 on the mound. In the nightcap, Athens, a powerhouse 6A program in Alabama, limited Trigg to just one hit and scored 9 runs over the final three innings to win 9-1.

  • The games were played on Thursday, April 3, 2026.
  • Trigg County will continue pool play on Friday, April 4, 2026 against Huntsville at 1:00 PM and Mars Hill Bible School at 4:30 PM.

The players

Lily Eagleson

A player for the Trigg County Lady Wildcats who had an RBI single in the first game.

Maddie Smith

A player for the Trigg County Lady Wildcats who had a two-run single and an RBI double in the first game.

Tember Oliver

The starting pitcher for the Trigg County Lady Wildcats, who improved to 9-0 on the season after scattering six hits over five innings in the first game.

Jaicey Harty

The pitcher for Athens, Alabama who limited Trigg County to just one hit in the second game.

Kara Crews

A player for Athens, Alabama who had two hits and four RBIs batting in the number nine spot.

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What they’re saying

“We got off to a great start in the first game, but Athens is a very talented team and they were able to take control of the second game.”

— Tember Oliver, Trigg County Pitcher

What’s next

Trigg County will continue pool play on Friday against Huntsville and Mars Hill Bible School. Their performance in pool play will determine their bracket placement for the tournament on Saturday.

The takeaway

The Lady Wildcats showed they can compete with strong competition from across the region, but will need to regroup after the loss to Athens to make a deep run in the tournament on Saturday.