RHS softball faces challenge in Admore
By Brannon King for the FCT
Russellville 15, Brooks 9
The Russellville Lady Golden Tigers picked up a Class 5A, Area 16 win at Brooks April 11 in Killen. Russellville scored in all but one inning and finished the game with 23 hits while holding the Lions to only four. With the win, RHS improved their area record to 2-2.
Alivia Clemmons went 4-4 with four runs scored and three RBIs, while AJ Taylor was 4-5 with two RBIs and a run scored. Kalli Beth Daniel and Madison Murray each had three hits, and Autumn Logan, Kayla Cochran, Karlie Moore and Makala O’Neal all had two hits each. Krista Sikes rounded out the total with one hit for RHS.
Russellville had a total of eight stolen bases in the game and nine extra-base hits. Clemmons and Cochran picked up triples while Moore (2), Murray (2), Clemmons (1), Logan (1) and Sikes (1) had doubles.
Two pitchers combined to throw seven innings for Russellville. Krista Sikes started the game and pitched five innings. She allowed two hits and four runs and struck out four batters. Megan Warhurst pitched the final two innings and gave up two hits and five runs. Only three of the Brooks runs in the entire game were earned as the Golden Tigers committed five errors on defense and walked six batters.
Russellville 10, Deshler 9
Russellville took a high-scoring home game April 13 against the Tigers from Tuscumbia. Murray had the game-winning hit in the bottom of the seventh inning on a walk-off single.
The Golden Tigers came on strong late in the contest by scoring five runs in the game’s final two innings to overcome a 4-run deficit. Logan and Taylor led the way for RHS with three hits each. Taylor scored three runs, drove in two and had four stolen bases. Cochran and O’Neal both had two hits, with Cochran picking up two RBIs and O’Neal driving in one run.
Daniel, Sikes, Murray and Clemmons also reached base safely on hits for Russellville. Warhurst pitched the first 5.1 innings, while Emma Whitfield threw the final 1.2 innings. Whitfield allowed no runs or hits in relief for RHS.
Battle on the Border Tournament (Ardmore)
The Lady Golden Tigers played a total of five games over two days in the tournament held near the Alabama-Tennessee border in Ardmore. RHS went 1-2-1 in pool play and lost their only game in tournament bracket competition.
In their first game April 14, RHS took on Smyrna, Tenn., and lost by a 7-1 score. Russellville only had three hits and made five errors in the contest. Murray, Clemmons and Logan had the hits for RHS. Murray scored the Russellville run, and Clemmons had the RBI.
Sikes pitched the first 2.2 innings of the five-inning game, and Warhurst was in the circle to pitch the final 2.1 innings. Although the Golden Tigers gave up seven runs, none of them were earned runs.
In game two of the first night of play, Russellville fell by a 2-0 score to Madison County in a four-inning game. Warhurst pitched the entire contest and allowed five hits, and she struck out four batters. Sydney Burcham and Clemmons had the only two RHS hits, while O’Neal reached base on a walk.
Pool play continued April 15, and Russellville picked up a win over Milan, Tenn., by a 6-1 score with the help of a Moore solo home run. RHS also played Giles County, Tenn., and the two teams played to a rare tie, with the game ending with both teams having only one run apiece.
Russellville then took on the Deshler Tigers for the second time in less than a week to open up bracket play, and this time, DHS came out on top. Deshler took the four-inning game by a 4-2 score to end the tournament for the Golden Tigers.
RHS (16-18-1) got two hits from Logan and one each from Taylor, Burcham, Moore and Sikes. Warhurst pitched the game for Russellville and gave up four earned runs on six hits. She struck out three and walked three Deshler Tigers.
