Russellville broke an 11-11 tie with six runs in the sixth inning in Moulton on Thursday, finishing off a season sweep of area rival Lawrence County with a 20-12 win.
The Lady Golden Tigers (16-9, 4-2 in Class 5A, Area 16) pounded out 19 hits, including four from Krista Sikes and three apiece from Autumn Logan, Karlie Moore and Makala O’Neal. By winning its final area game of the regular season, Russellville remained in the hunt to be the top seed and host the Area 16 tournament.
The Lady Golden Tigers (who also swept Brooks in area play but lost both games to East Limestone) need Lawrence County to win its final two area games next week against those two teams. That would leave Russellville, East Limestone and Lawrence County tied for first in the area standings at 4-2, and the AHSAA tie-breaking procedure would decide the top seed.
Russellville had an 11-7 lead in Thursday’s game before the Lady Red Devils rallied and pulled even on Kendall Terry’s solo home run in the bottom of the fifth. The Lady Golden Tigers immediately went back in front with the big sixth inning, getting a two-run single from A.J. Taylor and RBI singles from Sikes, Moore and O’Neal to make it 17-11. They added three more runs in the top of the seventh to seal the deal.
Sikes went 4-for-6 with three RBIs and three runs scored. She also went the distance in the circle to earn the win, striking out seven, walking eight and throwing 162 pitches.
O’Neal was 3-for-6 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored. Moore went 3-for-6 and scored three runs, and Logan was 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Sydney Burcham also had a big day at plate, going 2-for-3 with two triples, two RBIs and four runs scored.
The Lady Golden Tigers trailed 1-0 before scoring five runs in the top of the second. Sikes and Moore had singles in the inning, and O’Neal put them on top with a two-run double. Chalea Clemmons and Logan each drew a bases-loaded walk.
Lawrence County came right back with six runs in the bottom of the second, taking the lead on a three-run homer by Katie Beth McWhorter. Undeterred, Russellville answered with six more runs in the top of the third, getting four straight singles from Sikes, Moore, O’Neal and Jenna Whitfield and then a two-run triple from Burcham. Logan later added an RBI double to cap the inning and make it 11-7.
Taylor finished 2-for-6 with two RBIs and two runs, and Alivia Clemmons was 1-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Whitfield went 1-for-5 and drove in two runs.
