Dominant performances from Ardmore pitcher Sydney Hall have become commonplace for the Tigers this season. The junior right-hander put in another one Tuesday afternoon, allowing just five hits and striking out 10 batters in a 6-0 softball win over East Limestone.

“Sydney has been lights out all year,” Ardmore coach Stephen Baugh said. “It’s fun to watch her go at it. I can’t say enough positive things about what she means to our team.”

Hall had a great sophomore season last year, helping lead the Tigers to the Class 5A state tournament, but Baugh said she has even increased her production another notch this season.

“The type of talent she has is amazing,” Baugh said. “But it’s not really just about the talent, it’s about her character. That’s what makes her great.”

Hall’s pitching counterpart, Olivia Crouch, didn’t pitch badly herself. Crouch gave up six hits, but the Indians were undone by four errors. None of Ardmore’s six runs were earned.

Meanwhile, Ardmore didn’t commit any errors, which is something Baugh stresses constantly with his team.

“Sydney has been getting a good bit of strikeouts, but I don’t call pitches to strike people out,” Baugh said. “We’re a pitch to contact team, and that means we’ve got to play defense. Our defense is good, and that’s what we stress. As long as I’m the coach here, we’re always going to be defensive minded first.”

After the first two innings were scoreless, Ardmore jumped ahead with two runs in the top of the third. The first run scored on an error before Bo Riley had an RBI triple to put the Tigers ahead 2-0.

Ardmore then added two more runs in the fifth on RBI singles by Olivia Stafford and Madison Lewis. Stafford put the game on ice in the top of the sixth with a two-run single.

LB Smith had two hits, including a double for Ardmore, while Madelyn Hodges also had a hit.

Allie Drake and Kaci Sharp each hit a double to lead East Limestone at the plate.

It was Ardmore’s second victory over East Limestone this season, having defeated them at home last week. The two teams might meet again in the county tournament, which will take place April 19-20 at Elkmont.

“This is a great win for us because East is a very good team, Baugh said. “Coach (Brett) Nave is a great coach, and I’ve got a lot of respect for him. It’s always tough when we come over here.”