The Russellville High School and Tharptown High School varsity softball teams ended their seasons in their respective classification’s North Regional tournament, held at the Florence Sportsplex, last week.
Russellville, who finished runner-up in the Class 5A Area 14 tournament, opened its 5A North Regional against Ardmore on Monday, May 5, grabbing a 10-5 victory.
Pitcher Kaylee Suggs pitched a complete game for the Lady Golden Tigers to earn the win. Suggs went all seven innings in the circle, allowing five runs (none earned) off six hits while recording five strikeouts.
Suggs also led RHS with three RBIs in the game.
Russellville opened the scoring against Ardmore in the top of the second, scoring two runs. RHS then followed it up with two more runs in the third, a run in the fourth, two again in the fifth and then scored its final three runs in the sixth inning. The Lady Golden Tigers, led by three hits apiece from shortstop Bri McCulloch and Taitum Bishop, scored their 10 runs on 12 hits and were assisted by four Ardmore errors.
Russellville continued play the same day, taking on the Scottsboro Lady Wildcats in the winner’s bracket semifinal. RHS fell to Scottsboro in a tight 3-2 contest after the Lady Golden Tigers failed to complete the seventh-inning comeback attempt.
Bishop pitched a complete game in the circle for RHS, allowing three runs—just one earned—off nine hits and struck out three batters.
Bishop’s one earned run was allowed in the first inning when Scottsboro went up 1-0 on a sacrifice bunt. The Lady Wildcats would go on to tack on two more runs in the fourth when Russellvillle committed back-to-back errors to start the bottom half of the inning. Both of those runners would later come around to make it 3-0.
Down to their final out of the game, the Lady Golden Tigers fought back to pull within one run. A single by Blevyn Sappington got the ball rolling before consecutive RBI doubles by Ticelee Gholston and McCulloch brought the runners around. RHS was unable to get three hits in-a-row, however, and a groundout ended the ballgame.
Bumped down to the loser’s bracket, Russellville faced elimination against the Boaz Lady Pirates on Tuesday, May 6. The game between the Lady Golden Tigers and Lady Pirates was another close one, but RHS came up just short once again as Boaz came from behind in the final inning to win 7-6.
It was Suggs who got the start in the circle for RHS. She tossed another complete game, allowing seven runs, six earned, off 10 hits while striking out two batters.
Russellville started the scoring in the top of the second with one run off an RBI single by Bishop, and then the Lady Golden Tigers opened up a 5-2 lead after two full innings following a four-run second inning.
Khristyan Huerta hit an RBI single for RHS’ second run. A walk and then a sac fly by Chloe James scored the third, and then a two-RBI single by Bishop made it five for the Lady Golden Tigers.
Russellville’s sixth and final run of the game was scored in the top of the sixth when Sappington hit an RBI single to center to score Sadie Odom.
Up 6-4 with three outs to get in the bottom of the seventh, Russellville was walked-off after Boaz scored three to go ahead.
RHS started the bottom half of the inning with an error before an RBI double put the tying run on third after the throw. The game was tied up 6-6 after the next at-bat when Boaz’s Lusk hit into an RBI fielder’s choice. Two batters later, a Boaz RBI single completed the comeback as Lusk came around to score.
Russellville, in its second season under head coach Rick Lawson, finished the campaign with a 12-33-1 overall record.
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Tharptown was eliminated from the Class 2A North Regional after two games.
The Lady Wildcats, facing Sumiton Christian in the first round, were blanked 13-0 and run-ruled after four and a half innings against the Lady Eagles.
Alyssa Fischer got the start in the circle for the Lady Wildcats and tossed all four innings. With four errors given up behind her, only six of the 13 runs THS allowed were earned. Sumiton Christian put up crooked numbers in each of its four innings at the plate.
Fischer finished the game with 15 hits allowed, one strikeout, and no walks issued. Offensively, Tharptown finished with four hits.
In an elimination game in the loser’s bracket the same day, May 5, Tharptown was beaten by Lamar County 8-4 in extra innings.
The Lady Wildcats jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a two-RBI triple by Allie Gann, but the Lady Bulldogs recouped the deficit with a three-run top of the third to make it 3-2. Lamar County added a solo run in the fifth to make it 4-2.
In the bottom of the seventh, down to their final three outs, the Lady Wildcats extended the game and tied it up 4-4 after back-to-back RBI doubles by Ashton Tharp and Layla Hood.
In extra innings, the two teams went scoreless until Lamar County plated four runs in the top of the 10th inning. That deficit ultimately proved too much for Tharptown, who were retired in order in the bottom half of the inning.
In the circle, Fischer valiantly tossed another complete game, going all 10 innings for the Lady Wildcats. She finished the game with six strikeouts, and allowed eight runs, six earned, off 13 hits and three walks.
At the plate, THS was led by Gann’s two RBIs while Hood, Sophie Waldrep, and Lexi Little all finished with two hits each.
Tharptown ended its 2025 season with a 14-18 record.
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