MONTGOMERY – The 2019 AHSAA State Softball Championships got underway for the third day with Friday. Morning session results are below. Championships for Classes 3A and 6A are scheduled for 1:15 p.m. today.    All Championship games are being live-streamed by the NFHS Network over its subscriber-based platform. For more information, go to www.nfhsnetwork.com.    Today’s early game results are listed below and will updated at various intervals at www.ahsaa.com. CLASS 6A Game 13: Buckhorn 5, Brookwood 3   Buckhorn slowly chipped away at a 3-0 deficit, taking its first lead with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning. Brookwood loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the frame but could not score. Morgan Nowakowski was 3-for-4 with three RBI to pace the Bucks, who advanced to face Gardendale in the Class 6A state finals at Lagoon Park Friday. That game was scheduled for 1:15 p.m.    Kinley Adams and Hannah Carey added two hits each. Kaylee Hawkins recorded the pitching victory. CLASS 3A Game 13: Wicksburg 3, Prattville Christian 0   Wicksburg’s Emily Robinson pitched a three-hit shutout with five strikeouts to get the win for the Panthers. Wicksburg advanced to today’s finals to face Pisgah at 1:15 p.m.    A single run in the top first inning and two in the fifth was all the offense the Panthers would need. Robinson and Ashton White each went 2-for-3 at the plate and Morgan Roden had a two-run single in the fifth inning. CLASS 7A Game 6: Hewitt-Trussville 7, Central-Phenix City 2    Hewitt-Trussville scored three runs in the top of the fourth inning to break a 1-1 tie. Abigail Dorsett was 2-for-4 with a single and a double to lead the way. Hayden Neugent recorded the pitching victory with seven strikeouts.     Madison Hurt stroked a single and double to lead Central-Phenix City. Game 7: Auburn 5, Spain Park 4     Auburn took a 5-3 lead into the seventh inning and held the Jaguars to a single run in the bottom of the frame to get the winner’s bracket win. Hannah Pitts came on in relief to get the pitching win. Spain Park had the tying run in scoring position when the game ended. Chloe Daugherty was 3-for-3 with an RBI to lead the Tigers. Jada Askew also had two hits for Auburn. Maddie Majors drove in three runs and went 2-for-4 at the plate to lead Spain Park.
Game 5: Baker 9, Bob Jones 6     Bob Jones took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, but Baker outscored the Patriots 9-3 the rest of the way to get the elimination bracket win. Emily Mizelle was 3-for-3 with five RBI, including a three-run home run in the sixth inning. Jillian Robinson and Lauren Lindsay added two hits each. Caitlin McRee scattered 12 hits to get the pitching win.      For Bob Jones, Alexa Douthitt was 3-for-4 with two RBI. Erin Chambliss drove in three runs on a 2-for-3 showing, including a home run in the bottom of the sixth. CLASS 5A Game 7: John Carroll Catholic 3, Rehobeth 2    John Carroll scored all three runs in the first two innings, then held off Rehobeth for the winner’s bracket win. Alyssa Barnes singled and scored on an RBI-single by Claire Boone in the bottom of the first inning. The Cavaliers took advantage of a pair of Rehobeth miscues to add two more runs iÂÂÂn the second inning. Winning pitcher Macey Ogle finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate.    Stephanie Schoonover doubled and scored in the first inning for Rehobeth. She was 2-for-4 at the plate. Game 10: Mortimer Jordan 5, Ardmore 0    Madison Maze pitched a one-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts for Mortimer Jordan. A two-run fourth inning with single runs in the top of the second, sixth and seventh frames would be enough offense for the Blue Devils. Maia Townsend was 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Danilyn Moore and Anna Purvis added two hits each. CLASS 1A Game 4: Brantley 1, Belgreen 0    Brantley scored its lone run in the bottom of the third inning and Lauren Hudson pitched a complete-game shutout to get the first-round victory. Hudson struck out eight and allowed only two hits. She out-dueled Belgreen ace Emma Dempsey, who struck out seven and allowed four hits.      Brantley scored the lone run with a two-out rally in the bottom of the third inning. Emory Bush singled and later stole second a third base before scoring on an error. Game 3: Mars Hill Bible 13, Verbena 0 (5 innings)     Mars Hill scored 13 runs off 11 hits in the mercy-rule win. Five different players had multiple hits in the game, including Hannah Henry, who doubled in the first inning and homered in the fourth. The Panthers also hit four doubles and took advantage of three Verbena errors in the game. Emma Pettus took a perfect game into the fifth inning before Verbena recorded two hits. Â
MONTGOMERY – The North All-Stars scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning when Hatton’s Emma Latham slugged a two-out solo home run to center field Tuesday night to salvage a 5-4 win over the South All-Stars in the 22nd annual North-South Softball All-Star Games. The South won game one 3-0 at Lagoon Park. All-Star Sports Week is hosted in conjunction with the AHSAA Summer Conference by the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association. Cross Country and Basketball all-star competition will be held Wednesday, with volleyball and football closing out the events Thursday. A complete schedule can be found at www.ahsaa.com. The basketball, volleyball and football all-star games will be video live-streamed over the NFHS Network thanks to the AHSAA member school NFHS Network School Broadcast Programs at Goshen and Booker T. Washington Magnet. North 5, South 4: Latham, who earned North MVP honors for her clutch home run, also helped spark a four-run rally in the bottom of the fifth to give North, coached by Spring Garden’s Ann Welsh and Buckhorn’s Al Rauls, its first lead of the night, 4-2. Hewitt-Trussville’s Hannah Borden doubled to plate two runs for the big hit of the inning. The South took the lead 2-0 in the top of the fourth on G.W. Long first baseman Olivia Baker’s two-run homer. The South, coached by Mark Eubanks of Jeff Davis and Todd Clements of Eufaula, knotted the game at 4-4 with two runs in the top of the seventh. Blake Gibson of Rehobeth, the South MVP, had two hits in game two including an RBI single in the seventh. Madison Sanders of Moody pitched the final inning to get the win for the North. Maggie Phillips of Alexandria and Kaitlyn Clark of Gardendale each hurled two shutout innings for the North in the win. Baker pitched the final 1 2/3 innings and was the losing pitcher for the South. South 3, North 0: Olivia Baker hurled three strong innings to start game one. She got the win allowing only one hit and striking out two. Kahalley Brooks of Baldwin County also pitched three shutout innings and Kaylyn Dismukes of Holtville closed out the two-hitter with a hitless seventh inning to get the save. Springville’s Abby Swaney pitched the first two innings for the North allowing no hits, one walk, struck out four and gave up one unearned run to get the loss. Brantley’s Kassidy Wilcox homered for the South. Brooks singled for the North’s other hit. Lauren Haskins of Thompson and Phillips each had a single for the North’s only hits. With the split, the North now holds a 26-21-3 edge in the series which started in 1997.
Tuesday’s North-South All-Star Results Baseball South 3-2, North 2-6 Soccer Girls: North 2, South 0 Boys: North 2, South 1 Softball South 3-4, North 0-5
All-Star Week Series History Baseball – North leads 22-12-1 Softball – North leads 26-21-3 Boys Soccer – North leads 13-4-1 Football – South leads 30-26-2 Boys Basketball – North leads 48-27 Girls Basketball – North leads 18-3 Girls Soccer – North leads 14-2-1 Volleyball – North leads 14-6 Boys Cross Country – North leads 1-0 Girls Cross Country – North leads 1-0
G.W. Long 13, Mars Hill Bible 7
MONTGOMERY – G.W. Long battled from a 7-1 deficit in the championship game to beat Mars Hill Bible 13-7 as the Rebels claimed the 2018 AHSAA Class 2A State Softball championship. The state title also gave the school a sweep in Montgomery since the G.W. Long boys won the Class 2A state baseball crown, ironically, over Mars Hill Bible, earlier in the week. Junior pitcher Libby Baker, the Class 2A state tourney MVP, supplied the power with two home runs and three RBIs for Long. Her two-run blast highlighted a seven-run fourth inning that gave the Lady Rebels (35-14) the lead for good 8-7. Coach Nikki Long’s team rolled through the 2A state tourney undefeated with wins over Leroy 4-1, Lamar County 15-8 and Mars Hill Bible 5-2 in the winner’s bracket finals. Coach Matt Burgess’ Mars Hill girls downed Thorsby 11-0 and Reeltown 4-0 before falling to the loser’s bracket. The Panthers (45-16) beat Reeltown 9-3 to advance to the championship game. G.W. Long had 10 hits in the finals with Kenzi Payne, Savanna Wood and Dallas Potter collecting two hits each. Potter also had a homer, had two RBIs and scored three times. Payne, Wood and Emmaline Hughes each added two RBIs. Mars Hill scored all its runs in the first three innings off Baker, who allowed 10 hits, walked eight and struck out eight. Faith Stanford got the loss for the Panthers. Annah Steadhman collected a double and single to drive in three runs for Mars Hill. Riley Vaughn also had a double and two RBIs, and Kayla Thigpen had two hits and scored twice. The state title was the first in school history for G.W. Long. CLASS 2A ALL-STATE TOURNEY TEAM Libby Baker, G.W. Long (MVP); Kenzi Payne, G.W. Long; Savanna Wood, G.W. Long; Emmaline Hughes, G.W. Long; Erika Mitchell, Mars Hill Bible; Riley Vaughn, Mars Hill Bible; Annah Steadman, Mars Hill Bible; Allie Mitchell, Mars Hill Bible.
Hartselle 6, Saraland 5 (8 innings)
Hale County 13, Wilson 2
MONTGOMERY – Hale County downed Wilson 13-2 in the 2018 AHSAA Class 4A State Softball Tournament at Lagoon Park Friday night to win its fourth state championship since 2014. Coach Lori Wyatt’s team scored five runs in the second inning and four each in the third aknd fourth innings to beat the Warriors (49-5) of Coach Laura Jo McFall. Wilson forced the final game after emerging from the loser’s bracket to beat Hale County 10-7 to force the second game of the finals. Freshman pitcher Emily LaFoy allowed five hits, walked one and struck out two in the final game to get the win for Hale County (37-18). She was named MVP of the Class 4A state tourney. Senior teammate Olivia McCray had a triple and double and drove in four runs for the Wildcats. Kayla Wyatt had a triple and single and scored twice, Savanna Holmes had one hit and three RBIs, LaFoy had one hit and three runs scored for the winners. Johnna Staggs started and got the loss for Wilson. McKenzie Walker had a double and Staggs had an RBI to pace the Warriors. Hale County, which won three state titles in a row from 2014-16, also downed Alabama Christian 1-0, Wilson 18-11 and North Jackson 15-9 in the winner’s bracket. The Warriors opened with a 5-2 victory over Cherokee County, then moved to the loser’s bracket after the second-round loss to Hale County. Wilson then beat Cordova 10-2, Alabama Christian 7-3 and North Jackson 11-5 before beating the Wildcats 10-7 to force the final game. The AHSAA 24th annual fast-pitch state tourney will conclude Saturday with Classes 2A and 6A finals set for 2 p.m. The NFHS Network will be live-streaming both over the NFHS Network. Go to www.nfhsnetwork.com to access or subscribe. CLASS 4A ALL-TOURNEY TEAM Emily LaFoy, Hale County (MVP); Savanna Holmes, Hale County; Madalynn Langham, Hale County; Olivia McCray, Hale County; Johnna Staggs, Wilson; Taylor Brown, Wilson; Karlee Liverett, Wilson; Sidney Bevis, Wilson; Josie Thompson, North Jackson.
Prattville Christian 7, Geneva 1
Fairhope 8, Spain Park 6
Springville 3, Moody 0
Brantley 5, Sumiton Christian 1
MONTGOMERY – Brantley senior pitcher Leanna Johnson hurled a two-hitter and struck out 10 in the championship game of the AHSAA’s 24th annual State Fast-Pitch Softball Championship’s Class 1A competition and the Lady Bulldogs beat defending state champion Sumiton Christian 5-1. The championship for Coach Cindy Hawthorne’s girls was the fourth in the last five years. Brantley won the 1A title in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Sumiton, which won the 2A championship in 2015 and 2016, won the 1A crown last year. Johnson earned MVP honors as Brantley (53-4) went 4-0 at Lagoon Park Wednesday and Thursday. The Bulldogs opened with a 10-0 win over Isabella, an 8-0 triumph over South Lamar and a 3-0 win the Sumiton in the winner’s bracket finals. The Eagles (39-22) beat Sweet Water (27-14) 12-1 in the consolation bracket finals to set up the championship game with the Bulldogs. The Eagles and Bulldogs met in the first round with Sumiton winning 5-4 innings. The Eagles scored in the top of the first inning in the finals – the only run allowed by Brantley all tourney, when Amber Hayes led off the game with a solo home run. Johnson only allowed on other hit, a single by Taylor Whisonant. Brantley took the lead with in the bottom of the fourth off Eagles hurler Anna Calloway with two runs. The Bulldogs added two more in the fifth and one in the sixth – all on home runs. Hannah Sims slugged a homer in the fourth, Kayden Dunn had two-run blast in the fifth and Olivia Jones had a solo homer in the sixth. Kassidy Wilcox finished with three hits for Brantley. CLASS 1A ALL-TOURNEY TEAM Leanna Johnson, Brantley (MVP); Anna Katherine Kimbro, Brantley; Kassidy Wilcox, Brantley; Hannah Sims, Brantley; Taylor Whisonant, Sumiton Christian; Amber Hayes, Sumiton Christian; Anna Calloway, Sumiton Christian; Eve Myers, Sweet Water.
MONTGOMERY – Baker High School has self-reported a violation of AHSAA eligibility rules and has voluntarily removed its softball team from the South Regional Qualifier tournament. A student-athlete in Baker’s softball program participated in eight tournaments, junior varsity and varsity combined, during the 2018 regular season exceeding the maximum tournaments allowed in violation of AHSAA rules found on page 44 of the 2017-18 AHSAA Handbook, Rule III, Contests, Section 13, Contest/Tournament limitations. The rule states: A student may participate in the number of contests his/her team is permitted to play in that sport. If a student participates on more than one level of competition in the same sport during the same season, the maximum number of contests that the student may participate in is the number of contests his/her highest-level team is permitted to play. Schools are permitted to play (a maximum) 18 regular-season games and in seven tournaments prior to area, sub-regional, regional and State Finals play. Consequently, the student-athlete participated ineligibly in Class 7A, Area 1 tournament and one game in the South Regional Softball Tournament. BHS must forfeit all games won in which the ineligible student participated. The season has now ended for the softball team.
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