Ardmore softball coach Stephen Baugh has been preaching for his players to keep their eyes on the individual games and not look at the big picture as they attempt to get back to the Class 5A state tournament.

His players sure seemed to take his words to heart in the first game of the North Regional tournament in Huntsville Thursday morning, as the Tigers blitzed Douglas 8-0.

With the win, Ardmore advanced in the tournament winner’s bracket and was scheduled to play again Thursday evening against Lawrence County. That game concluded after The News Courier’s press time.

“You’re not eliminated until you lose two games, but if you lose that first game, it’s a tough, tough road to get out of it,” Baugh said. “The most important one is the game you’re fixing to play. We won that one, that’s good, so now we’ve got Game Two.”

Ardmore’s bats were a little slow to get going at the 9 a.m. hour, but Tigers pitcher Sydney Hall made up for it, tossing a complete-game shutout in which she gave up just three hits.

“Sydney threw the ball extremely well,” Baugh said. “And we played good defensively behind her. We did have a little trouble hitting at first, but then we got it together. But we got the win, and that’s the most important thing.

Ardmore struck for two runs in the bottom of the first inning thanks to RBI singles from Karla Hice and Bo Riley. But the Tigers didn’t score again until the fourth inning, when a single by Reagan McNeill.

Ardmore then put the game away with four runs in the fifth. Hice, L.B. Smith, Addison Hurst and Hall each had RBI singles in the frame.

Ardmore scored one more run in the bottom of the sixth inning to put a bow on the game, and Hall once again held Douglas scoreless in the top of the seventh to close it out.

Smith, Riley and Hice each finished the game with two hits, while Hice had two RBIs for the Tigers as well.

Should Ardmore win Friday evening’s game against Lawrence County, the Tigers would play at 10:30 a.m. Friday in the regional championship game. The top two teams in the regional advance to next week’s state tournament, which will take place in Montgomery.