The Panthers are on their way to Montgomery.
The Elmore County softball team had a busy slate over the weekend, with the championship bout falling on Monday. After securing a first-round bye in the Class 5A Area 6 tournament, Elmore County faced off against Beauregard.
It was a tight game, where both teams exchanged leads down to the final inning. Ultimately it was the Hornets who pulled through with a seventh-inning run for the 4-3 victory.
Beauregard struck first in the top of the third, with Elmore County responding with two runs from Addi Stephenson and Abigail Holt to put itself in front. Beauregard added one run each in the top of the fourth and fifth, where again, Elmore County would respond with a run from Addison Hicks to put both in a deadlock heading into the final stretch.
However, it was the Hornets who scored a crucial run in the top of the seventh via a ground out to advance the runner home.
Elmore County racked up five hits on the day; Hicks, Stephenson, Lalah Culpepper, Addy Peaden and Raevyn Barris all accounted for one hit.
Next up was Valley, where Elmore County soared to a massive 11-1 win through just five innings of action.
The Panthers opened the bottom of the first inning with three runs scored and did not look back. They’d post three runs scored in the first, second and third frames while accumulating 11 hits.
Culpepper went three-for-four with her at-bats including a triple and home run, while scoring three runs and logging five RBIs. Peaden also came away with a home run and a double in the game.
Bailey Kennedy saw most of the action in the circle, pitching four innings. She racked up four strikeouts and walked just one batter. She surrendered one hit and one run before Bailey Gardner came into close things out.
A win over Valley sent Elmore County to the championship game for a rematch against Beauregard, ending in a similar result to the first game with a 5-3 loss.
The Panther struck first with a run from Hicks to put them into an early lead. However, the Hornets took advantage of some pitching miscues in the bottom of the third inning, scoring four runs. The Panthers walked four straight batters, leading to three of the runs.
Elmore County came away with two more runs in the fourth and sixth frame, but the Beauregard lead was too much to overcome. Hicks, Culpepper, Kayden Edwards, Addie Patterson and Holt all notched a hit under their belt in the championship game.
Although Elmore County finished as the runner-up in the area, it still secured a placement in the regional tournament which kicked off Monday in Montgomery.
