Backstreet's back

By Staff
Backstreet Girls beat Russellville Knockouts to claim 8-and-under softball championship
Kim West
The Backstreet Girls swept the Russellville Knockouts to win the Russellville Parks and Recreation 8-year-old softball championship.
Backstreet (16-2 overall, 10-1 league) defeated the Knockouts 14-11 in extra innings on June 3 and won 14-11 June 5 to clinch the title.
"We had to beat the Knockouts twice because they were undefeated," said Backstreet coach Richie Hester. "We won the coin flip and were the home team in both games, which was an advantage because the lead kept changing back and forth."
The Backstreet Girls roster included Gabbie Moore, Abby Hester, Carlee Humphries, Ariana Harris, Jacyln Warren, Brianna Wood, Brooklyn Bogus, Cortny Williams and Robbie Markham.
In addition to playing in the city league, Backstreet also played travel teams.
"We played every team in our league three times unless a game was rained out and we also played teams outside of our league," Hester said. "We defeated Colbert Heights, Leighton and Hackleburg twice, and Hackleburg was the champion of the nine-team South League. The only teams we lost to were the Knockouts earlier in the season and the Cool Cats travel team."
Hester said he was proud of his team's resilience this season.
"Our team was led by Carlee Humphries, Cortny Williams and Abby Hester, and I was very proud of the girls," he said. "It was a very successful season because they never gave up, even if we fell behind, and it didn't matter how tough the competition was."