Following a strong finish to their basketball season, the Russellville girls have moved on to softball and are off to a great start.
Coach Ryan Davenport’s team not only has won the All A regional championship, but they dominated the opposition. They outscored their three opponents 39-6, beating Monroe County 17-4 in five innings in the finals held at Todd Central.
They will play their first game at state in a couple of weeks on Saturday, April 24.
Lady Panthers 17, Cumberland County 1
Davenport’s team got a 17-1 victory in the first round of the Region 4 All A Classic behind 17 hits Chloe Whitescarver homered. Madison Penrod, Jaylah Kees 3, Aklah Bell and Crissy Higgins each had three hits, Brinley Mason two, and Amiyah Collier and Reese Croslin one each.
Bell doubled, drove in four runs and scored two. Kees doubled, had three RBIs, and scored twice. Whitescarver walked the three times she didn’t homer, and she totaled three runs. Collier’s hit was a two-RBI double and she scored three runs, the same number as Higgins scored. Croslin had two RBIs. Mason had an RBI and scored twice. Penrod scored two runs.
Not a single Lady Panther struck out.
Pitchers Collier and Addie Mosier were strong in the circle, allowing 5 hits and 1 run while striking out six and walking three. The starter, Collier, was the winner.
Lady Panthers 5, Todd Central 0
Collier pitched a two-hit shutout, striking out 13 Lady Rebels and walking none. As a batter, she singled and scored.
On offense, Croslin led the way with two hits, an RBI and a run. Mason singled and drove in two runs. Bell singled in a run. Mosier singled and scored. Bell and Penrod each tripled but were stranded. Higgins walked and scored.
Lady Panthers 17, Monroe County 5
Seventeen runs proved to be the magic number for RHS in this tournament. And just like the first game, Davenport’s team needed just five innings to win this championship game.
Coach Treg Turner’s Lady Falcons had beaten Glasgow 18-7 and Metcalfe County 12-5 to reached the finals.
For Russellville, Penrod’s two hits were doubles. Higgins drove in two runs with her two hits. Winning pitcher Mosier found deuces to be wild: she had two each of hits, runs, RBIs and innings pitched. Mason had two hits and scored twice. Kees got a hit and scored two runs. Croslin added a hit, walked and scored both times.
Collier, who allowed no hits and one run in three innings while striking out five as a pitcher, walked twice and scored two runs as a batter. Whitescarver and Bell walked twice each.
Coming up
The Lady Panthers will take a 5-1 record into a tournament at Murray this weekend.