RHS ends softball season at regionals
By Brannon King for the FCT
The 2017 Russellville High School varsity softball season came to a close May 11 in Huntsville at the Sportsplex. The Lady Golden Tigers lost their first two games of the double-elimination AHSAA North Regional tournament to the Ardmore Tigers and the Boaz Lady Pirates.
Russellville advanced to regionals again this season after finishing second in the Class 5A, Area 16 tournament the previous week at Lawrence County. The RHS squad was attempting to qualify for the state tournament in Montgomery for the second-straight year but came up short.
In game one for Russellville in Huntsville, the Lady Golden Tigers fell to Ardmore by a 6-4 score. AHS scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning and held Russellville scoreless until the fourth, when the Golden Tigers picked up a run. However, Ardmore added another run in the bottom of the frame and then went on to score three more times in the fifth inning.
Russellville had a run in the fifth and tried for a comeback in the last inning but only came up with two more runs against Ardmore pitcher Sydney Hall, who went the distance for the win.
Megan Warhurst started the game in the circle for Russellville and went 4.2 innings, giving up six runs but only one earned. She allowed five hits and struck out a batter. Emma Whitfield came on in relief and pitched just over an inning. She gave up one hit and also struck out one.
Kalli Beth Daniel and Madison Lamon had two hits apiece to lead the RHS attack. Lamon scored a run and also stole a base, and Daniel drove in a run. Kayla Cochran, Alivia Clemmons, Madison Murray, Kourtney Joyner and Karlie Moore also had hits for Russellville. Cochran, Joyner and Moore scored runs in the game.
Russellville then took on Boaz in the losers’ bracket with the season on the line, and the Lady Pirates broke the RHS’ hearts with a walk-off 9-8 win on a solo home run by Sarah Diamond in the bottom of the seventh inning. RHS had battled back to take a lead by scoring seven runs in the fifth inning to take a two-run advantage. However, Boaz stormed back with three runs of their own in the bottom of the frame to regain the lead 8-7. Russellville scored a run in the top of the last inning to draw even before Diamond’s heroics that came with two outs.
Karlie Moore had a 3-4 game with the bat for RHS including a double, run scored and RBI. Sydney Burcham homered over the fence in centerfield for Russellville, and she drove in two RHS runs. Clemmons had two hits for Russellville, while Daniel, Cochran and Murray all had a base-hit each. Murray picked up two RBIs in the game for the Lady Golden Tigers, while Cochran had one. Krista Sikes, Warhurst and Whitfield all combined to do the pitching for Russellville.
The year ends with Russellville finishing with a 27-23-1 record for first-year head coach Kathryn Montgomery. This season will be valuable experience for the many young players who made big contributions for this year’s team. Lamon, Daniel, Joyner and Cochran made up the successful senior class that played key roles on the team.
