Belgreen claims fifth straight softball crown
The Belgreen Bulldogs have once again asserted their dominance in Franklin County softball, securing their fifth straight tournament championship this past weekend.
With a flawless undefeated run, the Bulldogs showcased their resilience and skill.
The tournament kicked off on Friday night with Belgreen’s decisive 11-5 victory over Tharptown. Jemma Moore and Zoey Blaxton set the tone early, each blasting home runs to ignite the Bulldogs offense. The team then continued its winning streak with a 7-2 triumph over Vina, setting up a Saturday showdown for the championship.
Saturday’s action saw Belgreen facing Tharptown once more, this time in a nail-biting rematch for the title. The intensity was palpable as both teams battled for every run. Belgreen struck first in the bottom of the second inning when Zoey Blaxton crossed the plate on a crucial sacrifice fly, giving her team a 1-0 lead.
Tharptown responded in the top of the third with Alyssa Fischer launching a solo home run to level the score at 1-1. However, Belgreen quickly regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Mackinley Hogan scored on a clutch RBI-single by Kendra Williams, pushing the Bulldogs ahead 2-1.
The finals were defined by a pitching duel between Belgreen’s Blaxton and Tharptown’s Alyssa Fischer. Blaxton delivered a stellar performance, allowing just one run on one hit, one walk, and recording one strikeout. Fischer also pitched admirably, conceding two runs on two hits, two walks, and striking out four batters.
Other tournament scores and highlights:
Tharptown made it to the semifinals beating Phil Campbell 7-2, Red Bay 6-4 and Vina 9-3 before falling to Belgreen in the finals. Natalie Franks belted a home run in the Phil Campbell game and Fischer struck out five.
In the Red Bay game, Jayden Partain hit a home run and got doubles from Ashton Thapr, Layla Hood and Franks. In the Vina game, the Wildcats got two doubles from Fischer and a double from Allie Gann. Fischer struck out seven Red Devils.
For Vina, in the win over Phil Campbell Lana Bell tripled and Aimee Shotts got the win in the circle. In the Red Bay game, the Red Devil bats were hot with home runs by Braxtyn Quinn and Kenzie Elrod, a triple by Bell and a double by Allie Lann.
