PREP PLAYOFFS: St. James beats ACA in pitchers' duel; PCA wins 10th-straight area title
ACA’s Izzy Warrick matched up in a pitching duel with St. James’ Emily Needham in the Class 3A Area 6 tourney on Monday. The Trojans earned a 1-0 win to advance to the tournament championship. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE/COMBINED REPORTS
Emily Needham and Izzy Warrick combined to surrender just six hits in a quality pitching duel as Needham and St. James scratched across a run in the fifth inning to beat Warrick and Alabama Christian, 1-0, in the 3A Area 6 Tournament at St. James on Monday.
Both players carried one hitters into the fifth inning before the Trojans finally manufactured a run. Arden Green hit a grounder to shortstop and beat Campbell Hammett’s throw to first base for a single. Needham’s sacrifice bunt moved Green to second before the speedy Kaitlyn Hudson hit another grounder to Hammett.
The throw to Maddie Traywick at first base was late and wide of the bag, allowing Green to sprint home from third with the only run of the game.
Hudson had two infield singles, Green had an infield single and Tat Shuford hit a fly ball to left field that was misplayed for a double in the sixth inning for the only hits off of Warrick.
“She was spectacular,” ACA coach Meagan Whisenant said. “I’m very proud of her, very proud of what she was able to accomplish.”
Needham was just as outstanding, allowing just a leadoff single by Warrick in the first and a leadoff single by Anna Prepramot in the seventh.
“It surprises me that we couldn’t score a few more runs, but it doesn’t surprise me that that was a tight game,” St. James coach Mark Hall said. “I knew at some point we were going to be in a game like that and we were going to have to find a way to win the game. I’m happy we came out on top. You have to give Izzy credit. She kept us off balance and they played solid ‘D’ for most of the game.”
After the seventh-inning single, Traywick struck out, but Prepramot advanced to second on a passed ball. Needham recovered to strike out Maddie Owens and Annabelle Pugh to end the game, but ACA’s resilience in fighting highly touted St. James to the final out wasn’t lost on its coach.
“They have it in them,” Whisenant said. “They’ve just got to believe in what they can accomplish. That’s where the mental game comes into play and that’s where we struggle with that because these girls feel like they have an expectation for themselves and if they fail, they’re failures. When the reality of it is, this game is a game that you will fail at. It’s inevitable.”
St. James (32-2) advanced to the championship game of the tournament on Tuesday at 4 p.m., ensuring the Trojans a berth in the Central Regional next week.
“At this point in the season, you should be trying to play your best softball,” Hall said. “I think we are. Even though we only scored one run, we played a solid game, Emily pitched her tail off and we made plays.
“The pressure is off now. I told the girls, now we’ve got to figure out if we’re going through the front door or the back door. We want to go through the front door, so we want to try and win tomorrow.”
ACA (11-17) will face Trinity (11-10) in a rematch Tuesday at 2 p.m., with the winner earning a berth in the Central Regionals and a date with the Trojans in the championship game.
Trinity 11, Montgomery Academy 1
The Wildcats scored six runs in the fifth inning, ending Monday’s game with Montgomery Academy on the 10-run mercy rule and earning a rematch on Tuesday with Alabama Christian.
Alabama Christian defeated the Wildcats earlier in the day 9-7, while Montgomery Academy lost its tournament opener to St. James 15-0.
Kate Knight scored three times and drove in a run for Trinity, while Harper Johnson went 2 for 2 with a double and an RBI.
Lucy Nelson went 2 for 3 with a triple and Kaci Armistead went 2 for 3 to lead Montgomery Academy, which ends the season with just two wins as a group of underclassmen continue the challenge to restart the program with its fourth coach in four years.
“I think they’ve grown as players,” Montgomery Academy coach Anna Blair Cockrell said. “They’ve learned the game a lot more and that was our goal. Our goal wasn’t wins and losses, it was to develop this program to play softball. I think this is the first year it’s been an actual success -- don’t look at the record but how they came together as a team. They’ve improved tremendously.”
Prattville Christian 12-15, Dallas County 0-0
PRATTVILLE -- Prattville Christian’s Alivia Messick and Laura Beth NeSmith allowed just one hit in a pair of four-inning games as the Panthers won their 10th consecutive area championship with a sweep of Dallas County in the 4A Area 5 tournament at Prattville Christian on Monday.
After Wilcox Central dropped out of the tournament, it was rescheduled as a best-of-three series between the Panthers and the Hornets, with both teams advancing to the Central Regionals next week at Lagoon Park.
In the first game, Messick threw a no hitter with 11 strikeouts as the Panthers won 12-0 in a game shortened to four innings by the mercy rule.
Kandice Crosby went 2 for 2 with four RBIs, Paisley Bayer went 2 for 3 with an RBI and Saniyah Weaver went 2 for 4 as part of an 11-hit attack.
In the second game, NeSmith had 10 strikeouts and gave up one hit in a complete-game performance shortened to four innings by the mercy rule.
Crosby had a double and a home run, driving in five runs, Bayer went 2 for 2 with two RBIs, Erin Williams had two hits and drove in a run and Sara Payton Schmidt had a solo home run.
PCA (24-6) will open the Central Regional at Lagoon Park against Sipsey Valley on Monday at 9 a.m., while Dallas County will be facing Northside at the same time.
Pike Road 15, Park Crossing 0
PIKE ROAD -- Anna Williams allowed just three hits in three innings of work, striking out three as the Patriots defeated the Thunderbirds in the 6A Area 3 tournament on Monday.
Park Crossing defeated Russell County 17-2 with a pair of inside-the-park home runs, advancing to play Pike Road in the winner’s bracket finals. With the loss to Pike Road, Park Crossing will face Russell County again on Tuesday at 4 p.m., with the winner advancing to the area finals and earning a berth in the South Regionals in Gulf Shores.
Pike Road, which clinched a berth in the South Regionals with the win, reached base with the help of seven walks but managed just four hits in the game. Addison Belyeu was 2 for 2 with a triple and two RBIs, Regan Frazer had a single and Kennedy Cuthbert was 1 for 1 with a double, a pair of walks and three RBIs.
BOYS GOLF
Montgomery Academy wins sectional
The Montgomery Academy golf team won the 3A Section 2 tournament at Arrowhead Country Club on Monday, shooting a 315 to win first place in the tournament.
Montgomery Academy, Trinity (326), Alabama Christian (352) and St. James (356) finished among the top four and will all advance to Monday’s South 2 sub-state tournament at Lagoon Park.
Indian Springs was fifth at 364, followed by Beulah (406) and Dadeville (415).
Montgomery Academy’s Jackson McIntyre shot a 75 to finish tied for low medalist honors, followed by Thomas Floyd (77), Mac Freeman (78) and Connor Evans (85).
Playing as individuals were Barnes Trott, who shot an 87, William Hall (90) and Joe Drumwright (91). Trott’s finish was among the top four individuals not on an advancing team, earning him a spot in next week’s sub-state tournament as well.