Sparkman Softball makes deep playoff run
Catcher Carys Enabnit catching vs Enterprise at the 2023 State Softball Tournament. Photo Credit Sparkman Athletics
OXFORD, AL – The Sparkman Lady Senators softball team was eliminated from contention by Hewitt-Trussville 5-0 on Saturday in the Class 7A State Tournament in Oxford.
Sparkman first bested Enterprise 3-1 on Friday at 9 a.m. to next face Fairhope in the winner’s bracket at 12:30 p.m. on the same day.
The Lady Senators fell to Fairhope 4-1 which sent Sparkman into the loser’s bracket for a clash with Daphne on Friday at 4 p.m. which Sparkman took 1-0.
The late-afternoon victory over Daphne propelled the Lady Senators into a Saturday morning showdown with Thompson.
Sparkman was able to get the best of Thompson 9-4 in the 9 a.m. affair which forced a matchup against Hewitt-Trussville at 10:45 a.m.
The Lady Senators would be shut out by the eventual state champions, but it had been a marathon two days of softball for Sparkman who made a deep playoff run that ended on the final day.
“I’m very proud of my team and the effort we put in to get here,” Sparkman junior catcher Cays Enabnit said.
“Nobody thought we would get as far as we did, but we pushed through, one game at a time. From area all the way to state, we gave it our all.”
Friday: Sparkman 3, Enterprise 1
A three-run bottom of the sixth lifted the Lady Senators over Enterprise who had been clinging to a 1-0 advantage since the top of the third inning.
Senior shortstop Cassie Reasner powered Sparkman with her 2 for 4 game that included 2 RBIs.
Sophomore pitcher Eden Parker tossed seven strong innings where she allowed only one run on five hits with two strikeouts.
Friday: Fairhope 4, Sparkman 1
The Lady Senators were not able to get the offense going against the Fairhope pitcher Harrison who held Sparkman to just one run on four hits with 16 strikeouts.
Friday: Sparkman 1, Daphne 0
The girls in cardinal tallied one run in the bottom of the first and it would be all they needed as Parker and junior Fiona East combined to keep Daphne off of the scoreboard.
Saturday: Sparkman 9, Thompson 4
Sparkman’s 4-0 lead evaporated in the bottom of the fifth as Thompson struck back to tie the game at 4-4, but the Lady Senators surged late with a 5-run sixth to crush the threat.
Sophomore right fielder Laila Watkins led the way with her 3 for 5 performance for Sparkman that included 4 RBIs.
“I knew that Saturday was my last time ever player with a Sparkman jersey on,” Watkins said.
“I wanted to make the most of it no matter the outcome.”
Saturday: Hewitt-Trussville 5, Sparkman 0
It was the end of the road for the Lady Senators as the Lady Huskies tagged Sparkman with solo runs in the first, second and fourth innings to lead 3-0.
Two more runs in the top of the sixth put a bow on a dominant showing for Hewitt-Trussville as the Lady Senators were held to just three hits and no walks over seven innings.
“All season we made it a priority to only focus on competing against the name on our jersey and not who we were playing,” Sparkman head coach Lindsey Vanover said.
