By Shannon Fagan/Cherokee County Herald
Cherokee County High’s three-year reign over the Cherokee Softball Invitational came to an end on Saturday (Mar. 15) against Etowah, which went on to take the title with a 5-0 win over Ragland in the championship game in Centre.
The Lady Blue Devils (10-10) had lost in Friday’s pool play to the Lady Warriors 10-3, but Saturday’s game seemed to provide Etowah the spark it needed. The Lady Blue Devils won Saturday’s rematch with the Lady Warriors, 10-1.
“We had a tough loss last night to Cherokee County, but we got to see them again today and took care of business,” Etowah coach Amy Shaw said. “The girls played really hard. We’re a young team, and we’re showing signs of greatness and really starting to play together and come together as a ball team.”
Etowah began Saturday’s championship path with a 4-3 victory over Hokes Bluff. The Lady Devils then downed CCHS to set up a showdown with Fort Payne in the Purple bracket final. Etowah squeaked out a 3-2 win to secure its spot in the title game.
Ragland (9-2) began its championship path on Saturday with a 7-2 victory over Cedar Bluff. The Lady Purple Devils then downed Ider 4-2 and Geraldine 10-2 to win the White bracket.
“I know Ragland is a scrappy team,” Shaw said. “Coach (Jonathan) Nix does a good job with his girls, and I knew we had to come out and take it to them early on. Our bats kind of fell silent, and we had a few base-running errors, but we were still able to secure the win.”