AHSAA SOFTBALL: Tallassee, Elmore County meet for bid to state tourney; St. James earns spot in 3A tourney

Tallassee pitcher Madeline Weldon led the Tigers to a first-round win over Ramsey in Thursday’s Class 5A regional at Lagoon Park. (Graham Dunn)

COMBINED REPORTS

Tallassee got two solid pitching performances and enough offense in the second game to advance to the Class 5A Central Regional winner’s bracket game at Lagoon Park on Thursday.

The Tigers defeated Ramsey, 15-5 in five innings in the first win behind Madeline Weldon’s work in the circle. They followed up with a hard-fought 5-1 win over Marbury with Catherine Royster earning the win.

The Tigers will face arch-rival Elmore County in the winner’s bracket final on Friday with the winner earning an automatic bid to the state tournament next week.

The Panthers defeated John Carroll (3-1) and Demopolis (2-1) to reach earn a rematch with Tallassee.

The loser Friday will have to work back through the loser’s bracket to earn the second qualifier spot.

St. James qualifies for State tourney

St. James bounced back from losing to Beulah in the winner’s bracket finals with a win over Alabama Christian Academy to clinch a berth in the state tournament for the first time since 2009.

The Trojans (27-13-1) will face Danville (17-22) in the first round of the 3A state tournament in Oxford on Wednesday at 10:45 a.m.

The Trojans had two chances to make the tournament and missed their first opportunity when Beulah scored late to take a 1-0 victory for the first of two qualifying spots in the state tournament.

Area rival Alabama Christian, meanwhile, defeated Southside-Selma 16-1 and Childersburg 16-1 to reach the game for the second qualifying spot against St. James.

The Trojans defeated ACA 14-0 in six innings to improve to 5-0 against the Eagles this season.

KK Hall went 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI while scoring three times, Peyton Dees went 3 for 4 with a double and a home run, driving in five runs, and Mary Olive Maddox went 3 for 4, scoring two runs and driving in another.

Emily Needham picked up the win in the circle, throwing all six innings while holding ACA to a pair of hits while walking one and striking out nine.

Anna Gleason and Emmah Clement had singles for ACA while Izzy Warrick drew the walk. Warrick suffered the loss in the circle, allowing 14 runs, eight earned, while walking two and striking out three in six innings of work.

ACA, which converted to a fast pitch program in 1996, missed the state tournament for only the fourth time in school history and the first time in back-to-back years after falling short in the regional finals in each of the last two years.   

St. James, which converted from slow pitch to fast pitch in 1995, made 10 trips to the state tournament in the first 15 years of fast pitch, but went two and out in the 15th year (2009) and hasn’t returned since until this year.

AHSAA CENTRAL REGIONAL PAIRINGS/RESULTS

Here are the pairings for the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Central Regional softball tournament at Lagoon Park Softball Complex. All classifications are double-elimination with two qualifiers advancing to the state tournament next week.

CLASS 7A

Game 1 -- Enterprise 4, Auburn 3

Game 2 -- Central-Phenix City 8, Prattville 3

Game 3 -- Auburn 5, Prattville 3

Game 4 -- Central-Phenix City 13, Enterprise 3 (6), Central is Qualifier 1

Game 5 -- Enterprise 8, Auburn 2, Enterprise is Qualifier 2

CLASS 6A

Game 1 -- Calera 12, Hueytown 2

Game 2 -- Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 10, Pelham 1

Game 3 -- Helena 13, Northridge 3 (5)

Game 4 -- Brookwood 11, Stanhope Elmore 3

Game 5 -- Hueytown 3, Pelham 2

Game 6 -- Stanhope Elmore 12, Northridge 1

Game 7 -- Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 4, Calera 3

Game 8 -- Helena 9, Brookwood 8

Game 9 -- Calera 7, Stanhope Elmore 2

Game 10 -- Brookwood 7, Hueytown 2

Game 11 -- Helena 5, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 3, Helena is Qualifier 1

Game 12 -- Calera 11, Brookwood 1 (5)

Game 13 -- Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 4, Calera 1, Hillcrest is Qualifier 2

CLASS 5A

Game 1 -- Tallassee 15, Ramsay 5 (5)

Game 2 -- Marbury 4, Sylacauga 1

Game 3 -- Demopolis 7, Shelby County 6

Game 4 -- Elmore County 3, John Carroll 1

Game 5 -- Sylacauga 12, Ramsay 0

Game 6 -- John Carroll 14, Shelby County 4

Game 7 -- Tallassee 5, Marbury 1

Game 8 -- Elmore County 2, Demopolis 1

Game 9 -- John Carroll vs. Marbury, Friday, 9 a.m.

Game 10 -- Sylacauga vs. Demopolis, Friday, 9 a.m.

Game 11 -- Tallassee vs. Elmore County for Qualifier 1, Friday, 9 a.m.

Game 12 -- Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, Friday, 12:15 p.m.

Game 13 -- Winner Game 12 vs. Loser Game 11 for Qualifier 2, Friday, 1:45 p.m.

CLASS 4A

Game 1 -- Prattville Christian Academy 7, Munford 2

Game 2 -- American Christian 4, Sipsey Valley 0

Game 3 -- Northside 10, Bibb County 0 (5)

Game 4 -- Handley 14, Dallas County 0 (5)

Game 5 -- Munford 8, Sipsey Valley 3

Game 6 -- Bibb County 14, Dallas County 1

Game 7 -- Prattville Christian Academy 11, American Christian 1

Game 8 -- Handley 5, Northside 3

Game 9 -- Bibb County vs. American Christian, Friday, 9 a.m.

Game 10 -- Munford vs. Northside, Friday, 9 a.m.

Game 11 -- Prattville Christian Academy vs. Handley for Qualifier 1, Friday, 9 a.m.

Game 12 -- Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, Friday, 12:15 p.m.

Game 13 -- Winner Game 12 vs. Loser Game 11 for Qualifier 2, Friday, 1:45 p.m.

CLASS 3A

Game 1 -- Southside-Selma 26, Indian Springs 12

Game 2 -- St. James 11, Randolph County 6

Game 3 -- Beulah 10, Alabama Christian 5

Game 4 -- Childersburg 16, Greensboro 0 (3)

Game 5 -- Randolph County 19, Indian Springs 4

Game 6 -- Alabama Christian 15, Greensboro 0 (3)

Game 7 -- St. James 20, Southside-Selma 0 (3)

Game 8 -- Beulah 13, Childersburg 0 (5)

Game 9 -- Alabama Christian 16, Southside-Selma 1

Game 10 -- Childersburg 17, Randolph County 3

Game 11 -- Beulah 1, St. James 0, Beulah is Qualifier 1

Game 12 -- Alabama Christian 16, Childersburg 1

Game 13 -- St. James 14, Alabama Christian 0, St. James is Qualifier 2

CLASS 2A

Game 1 -- Horseshoe Bend 10, Vincent 4

Game 2 -- Thorsby 9, Sulligent 0

Game 3 -- Lamar County 13, Isabella 3 (5)

Game 4 -- Southeastern 9, Reeltown 6

Game 5 -- Vincent 13, Sulligent 7

Game 6 -- Isabella 10, Reeltown 9

Game 7 -- Thorsby 7, Horseshoe Bend 0

Game 8 -- Lamar County 9, Southeastern 0

Game 9 -- Horseshoe Bend 15, Isabella 3

Game 10 -- Southeastern 6, Vincent 5

Game 11 -- Thorsby 6, Lamar County 0, Thorsby is Qualifier 1

Game 12 -- Southeastern 3, Horseshoe Bend 2

Game 13 -- Lamar County 8, Southeastern 4, Lamar County is Qualifier 2

CLASS 1A

Game 1 -- Keith 13, Berry 9

Game 2 -- Maplesville 16, Loachapoka 0 (3)

Game 3 -- Verbena 11, Wadley 0 (5)

Game 4 -- South Lamar 16, A.L. Johnson 1 (3)

Game 5 -- Berry 22, Loachapoka 3 (4)

Game 6 -- Wadley 23, A.L. Johnson 1 (3)

Game 7 -- Maplesville 17, Keith 0 (3)

Game 8 -- South Lamar 3, Verbena 2

Game 9 -- Wadley 12, Keith 4

Game 10 -- Verbena 9, Berry 0

Game 11 -- Maplesville 10, South Lamar 2, Maplesville is Qualifier 1

Game 12 -- Verbena 15, Wadley 0 (3)

Game 13 -- Verbena 6, South Lamar 2, Verbena is Qualifier 2