Staff Reports
ALBERTVILLE – The Cherokee County Lady Warriors split their two East Softball Regional games on Thursday at Sand Mountain Park in Albertville. They won their opener against Jacksonville 9-7, but then lost to Madison County 7-2 to drop to Friday morning’s losers bracket.
Cherokee County will take on Corner at 9 a.m.
In the win over Jacksonville, the Lady Warriors scored five first-inning runs and built a 6-0 lead through two innings before the Lady Golden Eagles began to chip away. Jacksonville scored two runs in the top of the third and added another in the top of the fourth before Cherokee County answered with a pair of runs in the bottom half.
Jacksonville made it an 8-7 game with a four-run fifth, but the Lady Warriors pushed an insurance run across in the bottom of the sixth for the final.
Grayson Tucker earned the win after working 4 1/3 innings. She gave up five earned runs on three hits with five walks and seven strikeouts. Abby Lea tossed 2 2/3 innings of one-hit ball with seven strikeouts.
Raechel Russell led the Lady Warriors at the plate by going 3-for-4 with a double and three runs. Lanie Williams collected a pair of hits, including a double, with a walk and three RBIs.
Tucker doubled, walked, scored a run and drove in another. Samantha Stubbs contributed a hit and two RBIs. Anna Walker added hit, a walk, a run and a RBI. Emma Hill had a hit, a walk and two runs. Lea also had a hit and a run. Audrey Haygood finished with a hit. KarLee Jolly scored a run.
Cherokee County took an early 1-0 lead against Madison County, but couldn’t overcome its five-run bottom of the third.
Tucker tallied a pair of hits, including a double and a run. Abby Lea and Macy Lea also both contributed a pair of hits and scored a run apiece. Macy Lea also walked. Williams and Haygood both added a hit and drove in a run apiece. Stubbs drove in a run.
Hill suffered the loss after working three innings. She gave up three earned runs on six hits with a walk and a strikeout. Abby Lea tossed two innings of two-hit ball, allowing an earned run with a pair of strikeouts.