MONTGOMERY — After watching Athens celebrate winning the Class 5A softball title Friday night, Brittany Brown and her Ardmore teammates wanted nothing more than to be in the same situation as the Class 4A tournament wrapped up.

On Saturday night, their chance came as they defeated top-ranked Alabama Christian Academy 5-4 for the Class 4A title. It’s the first fast-pitch softball title for the Lady Tigers program after coming close the past two seasons. Ardmore placed third last year and second in 2008. They won two slow pitch titles in Class 3A during 1993 and 1998.

“We wanted to bring it back,” Brown said. “We felt it for them (Athens) and we wanted to feel it too.”

Ardmore carried a 4-0 lead after six innings of play, but Alabama Christian rallied to tie the game in the top of the seventh, capitalizing on five Lady Tiger errors.

After back-to-back base hits by Nikki Clark and Katie Shelton, Sam Taylor delivered the third to load the bases with two outs. Brown delivered the game-winning hit to score Sydney Randall for the win.

” We’ve been talking all year about being mentally tough and being a tournament team and that’s what it took,” head coach Mark Thomas said. “We just did what it takes to win the game. We didn’t ever give up; we knew we made a bunch of mistakes there in the top of the seventh. Their eyes were big when they went out, and I knew it but I couldn’t help it. I didn’t know what to do to help it, but you come in to bat and you go right to work.

“It’s there, it’s just them. They know how to win. They expect to win, even against a team that knows they’re supposed to win. We’re just so proud to be state champions.”

Kelsey Gilbert drove in Brittany Brown for the first Ardmore run of the game in the bottom of the third. After a scoreless inning, Brown and Callie Bryant led off the bottom of the fifth, putting runners in scoring position. A hit by Gilbert scored Brown and Bryant gave the Lady Tigers a 3-0 advantage.

Gilbert, MVP of the tournament, went the distance, scattering six hits while striking out three. Making the All-Tournament team from Ardmore were Callie Steadman, Brown, Gilbert and Hodges.

Brown finished the game 4-for-4 at the plate. Bryant was 2-for-3, while Katie Shelton was 2-for-4.

Ardmore 4, Alabama Christian 3 (8 innings)

Earlier in the day, a Callie Bryant double in the bottom of the eighth inning scored Sam Taylor for the winning run, sending the Lady Tigers to the championship game. Kelsey Gilbert and Nikki Clark each went 2-for-3 with two singles. Callie Bryant and Allison Hodges each went 2-for-4, while Brittany Brown was 2-for-5. Callie Steadman was 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in the first inning.

Gilbert went the distance, scattering five hits while striking out nine.