Photo: Sardis’ Maddie Harris delivers a pitch during the Lady Lions’ loss to Moody in the Class 5A East Regional softball tournament on May 12 in Albertville. (Courtesy of Average Joe’s Sports Talk)
By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor
Sardis exited the Class 5A East Regional softball tournament in heartbreaking fashion on Friday, May 12 in Albertville.
Battling back in the playback bracket, the Lady Lions defeated Guntersville and Southside to set a third-round matchup against Moody. The Lady Lions held a comfortable 7-1 lead until the bottom of the fifth, when the Lady Blue Devils put across six runs to force a tie.
Sardis failed to put up any more runs the rest of the way. In the top of the seventh, Jalyn Hannah drew a walk, Val Owens doubled, and Hannah Hill reached base on a dropped third strike to load the bases with one out, but Moody pitcher Bella Turley induced two straight flyouts to strand the runners.
The Lady Blue Devils loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning, Emma Kile’s RBI base hit ended the game and Sardis’ season with an 8-7 loss.
Owens went 2-for-4 with a double, Hannah went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI and Waldrep had a hit, an RBI and a run scored.
Waldrep, Owens, Willmore and Gilmer each had a hit in the Lady Lions’ tournament-opening, five-inning loss to Alexandria, which dropped Sardis to the playback bracket. The Lady Lions rebounded in fine fashion against Lincoln, scoring three runs in the first inning, eight in the third and four in the fourth to end the game on the 10-run mercy rule. Halle Haynes pitched a one-hitter in four innings, striking out four while not issuing a walk. Lacks went 2-for-3 with three RBI and three runs scored; Barit Snead went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored; Owens went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI; Hannah had a three-run double and a run scored; Willmore had a hit, two RBI and a run scored; Waldrep had a hit, an RBI and two runs scored; Haynes had a hit and two RBI and Edwards had three runs scored.
Against Southside, the game was tied 6-6 entering the top of the seventh. Southside’s Ava Ramsey’s two-out double put the winning run on base, but Sardis pitcher Maddie Harris induced a groundout to end the threat.
The Lady Lions loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning when Lacks singled, Hannah reached on an error and Owens walked. With two outs, Willmore was hit by a pitch to force in the winning run.
Sardis put together a five-run inning in the bottom of the first, highlighted by a three-run triple by Harris. The Lady Panthers responded in the top of the second when Bailey Houston tripled home Jasie Brooks, Jovi Marble and Peyton Burrell and Maddie Griffith drove in Houston.
The score remained 5-4 in favor of the Lady Lions until the top of the sixth, when Houston’s base hit plated Calee Morgan and Brooks for a one-run Southside lead.
But Willmore’s leadoff triple in the bottom of the inning to set up her score off Gilmer’s sacrifice fly and tie the game at 6-6.
Houston went 2-for-3 with five RBI and a run scored, while Ramsey went 2-for-4.
Lacks went 2-for-3, while Hannah and Willmore each had a hit, an RBI and a run scored.
Harris went the full seven innings to earn the win, scattering seven hits and five walks while striking out five. Lexi Darnell pitched 6.1 innings for Southside, allowing three hits and three walks with seven strikeouts.