Most took the changes in stride as the final game didn't end until 1:26 a.m.
While it was the end to a long day, that final game turned out to be the end to something much bigger: Lineville High School athletics.
Sulligent knocked off the Lady Aggies 6-4. Lineville merges with Clay County next year to form Clay-Central High.
Saks
Saks went 2-1 on Friday, losing 1-0 to Winfield but beating Holly Pond 2-0 and Glencoe 3-0.
Saks (33-14) will play either Susan Moore or Carbon Hill at 10 a.m. today.
Pitcher Taylor West was the big star of the day, winning all three games. She struck out 27 batters over three games and allowed just seven hits.
West also hit a 3-run home run against Glencoe.
Tiffany Springer and Raegan Nunez each had an RBI against Holly Pond.
“We struggled at the plate all day, but we got the one big hit there (against) Glencoe when we needed it,” Saks coach Mike Tucker said. “Taylor was outstanding.”
Cherokee County
Cherokee County improved to 34-4 with two victories Friday. The Warriors beat Oneonta 2-0 and Corner 5-0 to advance to the winner’s bracket final against Haleyville
“You always want to make it through the first day with at least one win, and we’ve got two,” Cherokee County coach Travis Barnes said. “We’re one win away from making the state tournament.”
Junior pitcher Tori Davis (34-1) pitched both shutouts, recording eight strikeouts against Corner and 14 against Oneonta. She threw a one-hitter against Oneonta and allowed just five hits on the day.
“She’s really on,” Barnes said. “She’s at the top of her game this time of year, I hope. She just keeps the ball all over the plate and keeps them off-balance.”
Candace Blanchard, a senior a .420 hitter on the year, got two hits in each game and drove in a run against Corner.
Also against Corner, Madison Millsaps went 2-for-3 and scored two runs, and Davis was 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
“I feel like we sort of have a good lead on things,” Davis said. “We just can’t overlook tomorrow. Tomorrow is a new day, and we’ve just got to come out strong like we did today.”
Alexandria
Alexandria opened with a 12-3 loss to Springville but stayed alive with a 7-3 victory over St. Clair County.
Seventh-grader Jessica Shaw pitched a complete game in an elimination game to keep the Valley Cubs (26-22) alive.
Alexandria’s pitching situation took a hit in the Springville game. The Valley Cubs were down 4-3 in the fourth inning when Coach Brian Hess had to pull pitcher Nicole Burgess, who developed numbness related to a labrum injury.
Madison Shanks finished the Springville game.
Hess hoped to be able to use Burgess at some point in the St. Clair County game but couldn’t, so Shaw had to pitch a complete game to help keep the Valley Cubs alive.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” Hess said. “I was just hoping she could give me three, four innings, and I could bring Nicole in, but she got stronger and stronger.”
Shaw finished with three strikeouts.
“I just like going in there in those situations and taking it on,” Shaw said.
Alexandria also backed Shaw up with enough offense. Shanks went 2-for-3, including her second 2-run home run of the day. Morgan Read and Mackenzie Stone each went 3-for-4, and Reed hit a home run.
Shanks also hit a 2-run home run against Springville. Stone and Owen each added two hits.
Alexandria is making its 11th consecutive appearance in the regional.
Munford
Munford committed 10 errors Friday, including seven against Corner. They also managed just five hits, one against Corner.
“We just made too many mistakes,” Munford coach Darrell Smith said. “You go in against good teams and make 10 errors in two ballgames, you can’t win, no matter how good you hit the ball.
“We just couldn’t score no runs or make no plays.”
Kiera Groce had Munford’s lone hit against Corner. Savannah Macoy, Blakely Harrell, Brittany Gaither and Kelsey Gallahar each had a hit against Oneonta.
Groce pitched both games for Munford, striking out three combined batters.
“Kiera Groce did a phenomenal job pitching,” Smith said. “She didn’t give up many earned runs.”
Jacksonville Christian
A young Thunder felt thunder Friday, falling 10-0 to Lynn and 18-3 to two-time defending state champion Ragland.
JCA’s stay at Liberty Park lasted eight innings, and the Thunder finished 5-13.
“Ragland is a top-notch team,” JCA coach Tommy Miller said. “They’re going to contend for a state title, so I’m not disappointed with the effort.
“We’re super, super young. Being over here for the first time for some of them was tough. Seventh-grade shortstop, seventh-grade center fielder, eighth-grade second baseman, eighth-grade first baseman: their eyes were big.”
On the upside, JCA opened the Ragland game with a 3-run inning and was tied 3-3 going into the bottom of the second.
“We actually hit the ball good that first inning,” Miller said. “When they came to bat in the bottom of the first trailing 3-0, and the first batter we pitched well, and she just dribbled the ball, and it jumped over the pitcher’s glove and by the second baseman, an easy, routine out became a runner on base.
“From there, they’re going to hit the ball. We’ve got to have outs, and we didn’t get it.”
Ragland erupted for 12 runs in the second inning and never looked back.
Jordan Parker hit a double in the Lynn game and single against Ragland, and Ashley Gattis doubled against Ragland.
Woodland
The Bobcats split their first two games Friday, losing 10-0 to Sumiton Christian and beating Vincent 14-0, but was eliminated after midnight , falling to Lamar County.
Woodland's third game, which was scheduled for Saturday morning got moved to late Friday night. After alterations to the schedule, the contest against Lamar County was set to begin at 9 p.m. It didn't start until 11:34, according to Woodland officials.
Woodland battled its way back from down 3-1 to threaten late. With a runner on first, a solid hit back to the pitcher started the double play that ended the game.
Against Vincent, Madison Story and Felicia Curry each went 4-for-5. Jessica Smith and Ashley Burgess each went 3-for-5.
Story was 1-for-2 against Sumiton.
Ragland
Two-time defending state champion Ragland opened with a 4-1 loss to South Lamar on Friday but recovered to beat Jacksonville Christian 18-3 and Meek 14-0.
The Purple Devils (26-8) will play Lynn today at 10 a.m. in an elimination game.
Pitcher Sommar Wright struck out 19 batters on the day, including 11 against Meek.
Against Meek, JJ Looney had four hits, while Lauren Wright Kailey Echols and Emily Church had three apiece.
Against JCA, Church had four hits and six RBIs. Lexi Goodwin had three hits, and Echols and Lauren Wright had two apiece.
Church drove in the lone run against South Lamar.
Faith Christian
Faith fell 15-0 to Meek and 13-4 to Coosa Christian to finish its season 5-11, but Faith coach Betty Palmer sees a bigger picture.
“We didn’t think we were going to have a team this year,” she said about the Lions, who lost five seniors from 2011. “We’re a small school, and kids play volleyball and basketball.
“But these kids came together.”
The Lions entered regional play as 1A, Area 10 champs, but they ran up against stiffer competition Friday.
Still, Faith got several good performances. Sophomore Peyton Camp went 4-for-6 on the day, 3-for-4 with two doubles against Coosa.
Sidney Norton and Reagan Thacker had two hits apiece against Coosa, and Andrea Davis hit two singles against Meek.
Pitcher Alexis Rogers recorded a combined 14 strikeouts.
The Lions will lose just two seniors, outfielder Isabella Almanza and infielder Carly Dethrage.
“We’ve got an opportunity to really build an excellent program,” said Palmer, also Faith’s athletics director. “We have a new field under construction at the school, and just, overall, the future of the softball program at Faith is going to really be strong.”
