1A First Round

Maplesville 3, Athens Bible 2: A fly ball by M.K. Smith fell just out of reach of the Athens Bible centerfielder in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Maplesville the walk-off win. Trailing 2-1, the Red Devils (31-11-1) had runners at second and third with two outs when the ball in right center bounced off the outfielder’s glove. Karlee Cummings and Kamylia Talley scored on the play. Seven players finished with one hit each for Maplesville. Athens Bible plated two runs in the top of the first inning before Maplesville pitcher Lexi Smith settled in to get the win in the circle. Claire Holt was 3-for-4 at the plate to lead Athens Bible.

1A Consolation Bracket

Skyline 6, Athens Bible 3: The middle of the lineup did the most damage for Skyline (31-12-1), whose No. 5, No. 6 and No. 7 hitters Sage Lewis, Blakely Stucky and Kenzie Manning recorded two hits each in the 6-3 win. The Vikings took a 6-0 lead into the sixth inning before holding off one last charge by Athens Bible (16-12).

Olivia Treece got the pitching win after working the first 41/3 scoreless innings. Eva Gates pitched the final 2 2/3 frames to record the save. Cana Vining went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead Athens Bible.

5A Softball Championship

After knocking off Ardmore 3-2 to force the “if necessary” game, Brewbaker Tech won the 2023 AHSAA Class 5A State Softball Championship with a 4-0 victory over the Tigers late Thursday night at Choccolocco Park’s signature field.

Rams pitcher Taniyah Brown completed a 4-0 showing on the day with a complete-game shutout. The senior scattered six hits and struck out three and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

Brewbaker (46-10), coached by Chris Steiner, opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning. A two-out single by Khamiyah Brown drove in two runs to break the scoreless tie. In the top of the seventh, Kyra Wallace reached on an error and later scored on an error to make the score 3-0. Gabbie York followed with an RBI-single to left field to give the Rams a 4-0 lead.

Ardmore (35-20), coached by Jacob Sparkman, got a double in the bottom of the seventh but could not score. For the game, the Tigers held a 6-4 advantage in hits but left eight runners stranded.

York, who was also named to the all-tournament team along with teammate Khamiyah Brown, was 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

Makena Hall led Ardmore with a 2-for-3 showing. The Tigers’ Ella Singletary, Sara Sanders and AG King rounded out the all-tournament selections.

Results from other games from the Class 5A state softball tournament include:

5A Winner’s Bracket

Ardmore 3, Elmore County 2 (8 innings): A sacrifice fly by Ardmore’s Sara Sanders scored A.G. King from third in the bottom of the eighth inning for the walk-off victory that clinched Ardmore a berth in the Class 5A state finals. The Panthers scored single runs in the top of the fourth and sixth innings to overcome a 2-0 deficit and tie the game and force extra innings. Ardmore plated runs in the bottom of the first and third frames to grab the lead.

Sanders finished the game 1-for-3 with two RBI. Elmore County’s Anna Catherine Segrest was 2-for-3 at the plate. Ella Singletary pitched all eight innings to get the win for the Tigers. She scattered five hits and struck out 10.

Ardmore 4, Moody 2: A pair of runs in the top of the first inning proved to be the difference for Ardmore. The Tigers scored twice and built a 3-0 lead before Moody scored two runs in the bottom of the third inning. The Blue Devils would not score again and Ardmore added an insurance run in the top of the fifth. Sydney Sanders was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI to lead Ardmore. Ella Singletary got the pitching win after working all seven innings, allowing two runs off five hits with five strikeouts.