Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy
Southside banged out 14 hits in a 9-3 win over Class 3A No. 5 Glencoe last Thursday (Mar. 23). A four-run first inning gave the lady Panthers (11-10) the lead for good. For Southside, Maddie Griffith went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI; Jalyn Allen went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored; Jasie Brooks went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored; Jovi Marble went 2-for-3 with a run scored and Rylee Shaw had a hit, an RBI and a run scored. Lexi Darnell went the distance to earn the win on the mounds, scattering five hits, one earned run and one walks while striking gout five. For the Lady Yellow Jackets, Emma Croy went 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored, while Jordyn Morris had an RBI double.
A stellar performance on the mound from Sydney Simpson resulted in Etowah’s 2-0 victory over Cherokee County last Thursday (Mar. 23) in Centre. In seven innings, Simpson allowed one hit and one walk while striking out 15. At the plate for the Lady Blue Devils, Emma Johnson went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while Maggie Bennett and Laura Wood each had a hit and an RBI.
Gaston posted a 19-3, 18-3 doubleheader sweep over Faith Christian last Thursday (March 23). Both games ended in the third inning via the 10-run mercy rule.
The Lady Bulldogs produced 13 hits in the opener, including six for extra bases. McKenzie McCarver went 2-for-3 with a grand slam home run, a double, five RBI and two runs scored; Lexi Ponce went 2-for-2 with a home run, a double, an RBI and two run scored; , Randi Morgan went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored; Brooke Whitten went 3-for-3 with two RBI and three runs scored; Emma Samples went 2-for-3 with a triple, an RBI and two runs scored and Meleah Crane had a hit, an RBI and three runs scored. Ponce earned the win with one hit, one earned run and five walks while striking out eight.
In Game 2, Avah Horne went 2-for-2 with a home run and a run scored; Samples had a three-RBI double and Kiana Green had a hit, and RBI and a run scored.
Class 3A No. 5 Glencoe scored seven runs in the third inning and added six more in the fourth en route to a 31-2 victory over Ohatchee in five innings last Tuesday (Ma. 21). At the plate for the Lady Yellow Jackets (11-5), Emma Highfield went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, four RBI and a run scored; Jordyn Morris went 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored; Aubrey Maxwell went 2-for-2 with a double, two RBI and a run scored; Emma Croy went 2-for-3 with a double and two run scored; Cayse Willett went 1-for-2 with two RBI and two runs scored; Abi Bunt had a hit, an RBI and two runs scored; Jaxson Sizemore had a hit and two runs scored and Hailey Hanners had a hit, an RBI and a run scored.
Bella Owen’s walkoff triple gave Etowah a 6-5 victory over St. Clair County last Tuesday (Mar. 21) in Attalla. Consecutive base hits by Sydney Simpson and Laura Wood in the bottom of the seventh inning brought Lauren Farmer to the plate, who singled in Simpson to tie the game at 5-5. That set the table for Owen, whose ensuing triple plated Wood for the winning run. Owen went 3-for-4 with an RBI; Wood went 3-for-4 with three runs scored; Simpson went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored; Farmer went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored and Maggy Bennett went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Peyton Hall’s four-hit shutout sparked Class 2A No. 5 West End to a 2-0 win over Holly Pond last Tuesday (Mar. 21). The victory clinched the Class 2A, Area 12 regular season title for the Lady Patriots (13-5), who will host the area tournament next month. In seven innings, Hall struck out nine and did not issue a walk. Josie Bunch had an RBI double for West End, while Liddy Faulkner had an RBI single.
Southside defeated Boaz, 6-2, last Tuesday (March 21). In a complete-game effort, winning pitcher Jaylyn Allen scattered seven hits and two earned runs while striking out three. At the plate for the Lady Panthers, Jovi Marble had a two-RBI triple, while Lauren McKee had a three-RBI double.
Etowah’s Sydney Simpson shut down yet another potent lineup last Monday (Mar. 20). In seven innings, the senior ace pitcher allowed one hit while striking out 16 in the Lady Blue Devils’ 1-0 victory over Albertville in Attalla. She received all the support she required in the bottom of the fifth inning when Bella Owen singles, stole second and third and scored on Kylee Wilder’s base hit. Jaleigh Devine, Lauren Farmer, Elizabeth Gilliland and Chloe Kelley also had hits for Etowah.
Jayda Burgess had the hot bat and Lexi St.John got it done on the mound in Ashville’s 15-1 win in five innings over Victory Christian last Monday (Mar. 20) in Pell City. Burgess went 2-for-3 with a double, four RBI and two runs scored, while St. John scattered four hits in five innings with no earned runs and no walks. She struck out seven and helped her cause with two hits. Also at the plate for the Lady Bulldogs, Amy Brashier had a two-RBI triple and a run scored; Ryleigh Cothran went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored; Rachel St. John had a hit, an RBI and three run scored; Gracie Click had an two-RBI double and Anna Lynn Williamson had an RBI and two runs scored.
Southside scored a pair of runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings on the way to a 6-1 victory over Class 5A No. 10 Etowah on March 16. Jalyn Allen earned the win for the Lady Panthers, scattering four hits, one run and one walk with seven strikeouts over five innings. At the plate for Southside, Peyton Burrell went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored; Rylann Shaw had a hit and two RBI; Ava Ramsey had a hit and two runs scored and Lauren McKee had a hit, an RBI and a run scored. Sydney Simpson had two hits for the Lady Blue Devils. In five innings on the mound, she allowed five hits, three earned runs and four walks while striking out eight.
Glencoe swept a doubleheader last Saturday (March 18) defeating Cedar Bluff, 12-9 and Ider, 8-7. Against Cedar Bluff for the Class 3A No. 5 Lady Yellow Jackets (10-5), Aubrey Maxwell went 4-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored; Hailey Hanners went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, three RBI and a run scored; Jaxson Sizemore went 3-for-4 with a double, three RBI and a run scored; McKenzi Landers went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored and Abi Bunt went 1-for-2 with a double and three runs scored. Against Ider, Bunt went 3-for-4 with two doubles, and three runs scored; Hanners went 2-for-2 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored and Cayse Willett went 2-for-4 with a run scored.