AHSAA SOFTBALL: ACA's furious comeback falls short to end season

ACA pitcher Izzy Warrick falls on her knees after Lee-Scott scores winning run in the ninth inning of an elimination game of the Class 3A Central Regional at Lagoon Park on Tuesday. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE
They defied the odds to reach the finals of the Central Regional but didn’t have enough offense to earn their way back to the state tournament.

Alabama Christian, which staged a furious rally in the last two innings to tie the game, couldn’t muster a hit in extra innings and fell to Lee-Scott Academy 3-2 in a nine-inning thriller at Lagoon Park Softball Complex on Tuesday night.

The win sends the newest member of the Alabama High School Athletic Association, which lost in the Alabama Independent School Association state finals at the same complex a year ago to Macon East Academy, on to the state tournament in Oxford next week.

It also means the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s most decorated softball program, which owns a state-best 24 appearances and 80 wins in the state fast pitch softball tournament, ended its season in the regional finals for the third time in the last four years.

“The amount of injuries and players off the roster this year has really, unfortunately, left a hole and a void,” ACA coach Meagan Whisenant said. “Our young ones had to fill those roles. They did a phenomenal job. At the end of the day, it’s really hard to put athletes under pressure that are not used to roles they have to fulfill. I love the grit and desire to fill those roles that they had.”

It was nothing short of amazing the Eagles (19-22) managed to claw their way back into the regionals. ACA battled through injuries to four starters this season, including two of its best players in pitcher Maddie Traywick and infielder-catcher Anna Gleason, piecing together a team that included seniors Izzy Warrick and Lily Sconyers along with six underclassmen.

It was Warrick, the face of the ACA program the last several years, that battled through the Lee-Scott lineup time after time on Tuesday night, surviving a four-hit third inning with a defense that cut down one runner at the plate in the fourth and her own defense in the sixth with a pair of forceouts at the plate after the Warriors loaded the bases with no outs.

“The great thing about Izzy Warrick is when push comes to shove and she’s under pressure, she will throw harder,” Whisenant said of Warrick, who pitched all but two innings of the tournament. “And the more innings that progress, the closer the game is, the harder she will throw. You can’t expect any more out of that kid than what she gave tonight.”

Finally, it was Sydney Dunlap who ended the game in the bottom of the ninth with a leadoff single, going to second on Railey Langford’s sacrifice bunt and to third on a wild pitch, then scoring on Brianna Totty’s sacrifice fly.

Langford pitched the first seven innings, escaping scoring threats by Alabama Christian as they put runners on third base in the first, second, third and fifth innings but could not push a run across.

Finally, ACA scored in the sixth as Maddie Owens singled, went on second on a groundout and scored on Adalee Lincoln’s triple to the right field fence. But Lincoln was stranded on third base for the second time in the game, leaving the Eagles a run short.

In the seventh, Warrick hit a two-out single, stole second and scored on Owens’ single to center field to tie the game, but Sconyers was thrown out trying to run from first to third.

“I’m very proud of this team,” Whisenant said. “We played a really good program. At the end of the day, they had to outplay us to get to state and we made sure of that. We fought, we fought hard. Sometimes, you lose.”

Totty pitched the final two innings for Lee-Scott, picking up the win. Langford and Karlee Baker each went 3 for 4 for the Warriors, while McKenzie Johnson’s two RBIs gave the Warriors the early lead.

Owens went 3 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI to lead to Eagles, while Warrick went 2 for 4 with a run scored.

CENTRAL REGIONAL (Lagoon Park)
CLASS 2A
WINNERS’ BRACKET
Horseshoe Bend (24-15) 6, Isabella (11-14) 2 (Horseshoe Bend (24-5) is No. 1 state qualifier)
ELIMINATION BRACKET
Isabella (12-14) 7, Ranburne (19-18) 3  (Isabella (12-14) is No. 2 state qualifier)

CLASS 3A
WINNERS’ BRACKET
St. James (48-7) 11, Alabama Christian (19-20) 0 (St. James (48-7) is No. 1 state qualifier)
ELIMINATION BRACKET
Lee-Scott Academy (29-12-1) 3, Alabama Christian (19-21) 2 (9 inn) (Lee-Scott Academy (29-12-1) is No. 2 state qualifier)

CLASS 5A
WINNERS’ BRACKET
Brewbaker Tech (21-17-1) 4, Beauregard ( 3 (Brewbaker Tech (21-17-1) is No. 1 state qualifier)
ELIMINATION BRACKET
Beauregard (34-13) 1, Holtville (23-19) 0 (Beauregard (34-13) is No. 2 state qualifier)

CLASS 7A
WINNERS’ BRACKET
Central-Phenix City (44-3) 7, Enterprise (28-8 1 (Central-Phenix City (44-3) is No. 1 state qualifier)
ELIMINATION BRACKET
Enterprise (28-8) vs Auburn (25-17), Wed., 1:45 p.m.