Phil Campbell holds off late Cherokee rally

By Staff
Rebecca James, Franklin County Times
PHIL CAMPBELL – In the first game of the Area 16 Fast Pitch Softball Tournament Tuesday, Phil Campbell stopped a last inning rally by the Cherokee Indians to win 5-3.
Phil Campbell struck first with a run by Shayla Pace in the second inning.
At their next at bat in the third, Shelly Cooper slammed out a homerun to bring the Bobcats ahead by two.
Neither team would score again until the sixth inning when Shelly Cooper posted one more for the Bobcats on a triple by Alexis Maggerise. Maggerise would later add her own score on a single by Caitlin Stancil.
The Cherokee bats would stay silent until the bottom of the sixth with a homerun and another run to bring the score to 4-2. Early in the seventh, a triple by Erica Halcomb drove in Shelly Cooper to bring Phil Campbell ahead 5-2.
A last inning rally by the Indians added one more to the scoreboard, but it wasn't enough as Phil Campbell beat the Indians 5-3.
Melissa Russell was the winning pitcher for the Bobcats, who advanced to the second round against the Red Bay Tigers.