SOFTBALL: Madison Academy survives, Bob Jones and Sparkman eliminated
FLORENCE – If any school is going to bring back high school softball regional or state hardware to the western segment of Madison County, it’ll have to be Madison Academy.
The Class 3A Lady Mustangs are the sole local program still alive in regional play. But they’ve got work to do after winning one game against Gordo and losing to Colbert County on Wednesday in the double-elimination format at the Florence Sportsplex.
Today, Madison Academy tries to emerge from the gauntlet of the elimination bracket. First up is a game against Rogers at 10:45 a.m. Two more games follow in the elimination bracket, with the survivor going to the championship round.
The region champion and runner-up both advance to the state tournament.
Two other trophy seekers–Bob Jones and Sparkman–were eliminated from the 7A bracket earlier in the week.
Bob Jones won once at the East Regional in Albertville, but that win was bracketed by losses to top-ranked Thompson on Monday and No. 9 Austin on Tuesday in the double-elimination format.
Meanwhile, Sparkman’s season ended with two losses on Monday in Florence against No. 2 Hewitt-Trussville and 10th-ranked Huntsville, which was eliminated in its next game by No. 3 Vestavia.
- North Regional (Florence)
Colbert County 2, Madison Academy 0: Cataryna Schreiber allowed three hits, struck out 11 and walked none in six innings for the Lady Mustangs. She didn’t allow a run until the bottom of the fifth.
However, it wasn’t enough against UNA-signee Makayli Davis. She threw a complete-game, two-hitter with 13 strikeouts and no walks. She also provided the winning blast at the plate with a two-run homer in the fifth.
Schreiber and Amiyah Dixon both doubled in the loss.
Madison Academy 10, Gordo 1: Schreiber went the distance in a four-hitter, striking out 12 with no walks. She also doubled.
Memphis Houston homered and singled for five RBIs. Evie Stephenson had three hits and four stolen bases, Danielle Brown had a triple and two RBIs and Adelaine Pressley had two hits and a run scored for Madison Academy.
Huntsville 6, Sparkman 5: The Lady Panthers continued to haunt the Lady Senators, who dropped their fifth game against one win against their Area 7 foe after a four-run rally in the seventh wasn’t enough to avoid elimination.
Bella Mayfield went 3-for-4 with a triple, and Raychel Harmon and Chaia Betts both had a hit and two RBIs for Sparkman.
Hewitt-Trussville 6, Sparkman 1: Krimson Phillips had an RBI triple for the Lady Senators’ lone run.
- East Regional (Albertville)
Thompson 10, Bob Jones 0 (5 inn.): The Lady Patriots got just two hits–a double by Nahlani Simpson and a single by Ja’Leigh Johnson–in the loss to the No. 1 Lady Warriors.
Bob Jones 6, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 1: Johnson pitched a complete-game, three-hitter. She struck out four and walked one. She also had a hit and two RBIs.
Simpson doubled, singled and picked up two RBIs. Haven Degante doubled, tripled, and added one RBI.
Austin 13, Bob Jones 4: The Lady Bruins continued to haunt Bob Jones, which lost all four meetings between the two teams this season. Carson Horton doubled for one of five hits for Bob Jones.
