For the second time in the early softball season, the Russellville Lady Panthers are tournament champions.
Shortly after winning the All A regional championship, Coach Ryan Davenport’s team repeated as champion of the Murray Spring Break Bash on April 9. RHS also won the event two years ago with a 4-1 record. They were scheduled to defend their crown last year, but the entire 2020 season was canceled for the pandemic. So now, the Lady Panthers will be Murray invitational champion for at least three calendar years.
This year’s tournament was drastically reduced in length. It was to have lasted two days, but because of a wet, stormy forecast, the decision was made to play all the games on Friday. But after Russellville crushed host Murray 13-0 in four innings, it built an early lead in the second game before action was called because of lightning.
As the weathered wettened and worsened, the tournament was shut down completely and the Lady Panthers were declared champions. The second game hadn’t gone long enough to be an official win, but Davenport’s team’s left Calloway County with an overall record of 6-1, which had improved to 8-2 going into Saturday’s Kelly Russell Classic.
Fourteen Lady Panthers batted in the win over Murray, and 13 of them reached base. Jaylah Kees, Madison Penrod and Crissy Higgins each got two hits. Reese Croslin, Brinley Mason, Addie Mosier and Kayelynn Davenport added one each. Penrod scored two runs. Higgins doubled and was credited with two RBIs. Croslin tripled, got an RBI and scored. Mason was close to that with a triple and an RBI. Mosier scored and added an RBI. Davenport drove in a run.
Amiyah Collier doubled twice and scored. Chloe Whitescarver reached and scored. Chloe Penrod, walked. Aklah Bell walked and scored twice. Jaeda Poindexter was hit by a pitch.
Collier pitched the one-hit shutout over four innings. She didn’t walk a Lady Tiger and struck out six.