When Ardmore pitcher Sydney Hall is on her game, which is almost always, the Tigers don’t need a lot of runs to win a game. Any offense Ardmore can put together is just a bonus.

That was the case Thursday, as Hall pitched a total of 14 innings, struck out 24 batters and allowed just four hits and no earned runs as Ardmore won the Class 5A, Area 16 tournament championship.

The Tigers (31-10) defeated East Limestone 2-0 in the semifinal before beating Scottsboro 10-1 in the championship game Thursday evening.

“It’s just amazing the way Sydney can pitch the ball,” Ardmore coach Stephen Baugh said. “She’s an all-star selection for a reason. She can throw it in there and hit her spots, and for the most part, we’re doing a good job defensively behind her.”

Hall set a career high with 14 strikeouts in the win over East Limestone while only allowing one hit. Ardmore had just six hits of its own, as East Limestone pitchers Raney Riddle and Rylie Grisham held the Tigers in check, but Ardmore got just enough offense thanks to single runs in the third and fourth innings.

Madison Lewis broke the scoreless deadlock with an RBI double in the third inning and Mackenzie McCormack padded the lead in the fourth win a run-scoring single.

L.B. Smith and Karla Hice also had doubles for the Tigers in the victory. Olivia Crouch had East Limestone’s only hit.

Hall was nearly as dominant in the championship game against Scottsboro. She struck out 10 batters and allowed just three hits and one unearned run, which came via an error in the sixth inning when Ardmore already had a 10-0 lead.

The game was scoreless for the first two innings before Ardmore broke in front in the top of the third when Lewis hit a two-run double.

Ardmore then put the game away with seven runs in the top of the fourth. Reagan McNeill, Hall, Bo Riley and Madelyn Hodges each had RBI singles in the inning, while Lewis, Smith and McNeill each drew bases-loaded walks that forced in a run.

Ardmore’s final score came in the top of the sixth when Smith hit into a fielder’s choice that drove in a run.

McCormack finished the game with three hits, while Hall, Hodges, Riley and Briona Daily each had two hits. Smith and Lewis each hit a double for the Tigers.

While Baugh was pleased with the pitching and defense, he said the Tigers will need to improve their hitting as they move into the North Regional tournament in Florence next week. Other than the seven-run fourth inning of the championship game, the Tigers scored just five total runs in the other 13 innings played Thursday.

“Offensively we’ve struggled, really all season,” Baugh said. “We’ve got to figure out a way to manufacture some more runs and barrel up the ball. That’s what we’re going to work on this week and we’ll see if we can make it happen.”

Scottsboro 8, East Limestone 3

East Limestone’s season came to an end with a loss in the loser’s bracket final of the Class 5A, Area 16 tournament Thursday afternoon.

After falling to Ardmore earlier in the day, the Indians needed to defeat Scottsboro to have a chance to face the Tigers again.

However, Scottsboro set the tone early by scoring three runs in the top of the first inning. The Wildcats added single runs in the fourth and fifth to take a 5-0 lead, and after East Limestone answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth, scored three in the top of the sixth to put the game away.

East tried to come back in the bottom of the seventh inning with two runs, but it wasn’t enough to stave off elimination.

Olivia Crouch had two hits, including a triple, and two RBIs for East Limestone, while Kaci Sharp hit two doubles. Cassidy Sowell had a double for the Indians, while Mallory Jo Mitchell had a hit and an RBI.

Scottsboro advanced to next week’s North Regional tournament while East Limestone finished its season with a 25-11-1 record.