

Four local teams, Hartselle, Athens, West Morgan, and West Limestone, are one game away from the state softball tournament after the first day of regionals. West Morgan aims for their first state tournament appearance since 2014.
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May 12—FLORENCE — Four local teams are just one game away from the state tournament after the first day of regionals on Monday.
Hartselle, Athens, West Morgan and West Limestone will play in their regional final on Tuesday to decide the top qualifier in their classification going into the state tournament in Oxford next week.
Austin will play in the losers' bracket of the east regional after a loss to Thompson in the second round.
After two close wins over Hamilton and then Wilson, West Morgan will face Good Hope on Tuesday in the north regional final. A win would give the Rebels their first spot in the state tournament since 2014.
"This is so important to me," West Morgan senior Chasity Rikard said. "I'm honestly willing to miss my graduation if it means us going to state."
In class 6A, Hartselle and Athens will meet in the north regional final to decide who goes to state and who goes to the loser's bracket.
This will be the second straight year the two have met in the regional final. Last season Hartselle beat Athens 2-0.
"With Athens it's always going to be back and forth. It's never going to be a cakewalk," Hartselle head coach Anna Hall said. "It's always going to be tough because they keep fighting like we keep fighting."
West Limestone will see Plainview on Tuesday in the east regional final.
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Hartselle 10, Fort Payne 0: Aubree Peak and Addison Chudy combined to throw a five-inning no-hitter to open up regional play on Monday.
Katie Norgard was 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs. Amelia Fox knocked in three runs on a triple. Jesi Chittham had a two-run home run. Ryley Wolf and Hatsumi Peterson had an RBI each. Peak pitched three innings with five strikeouts. Chudy was perfect in her two innings pitched.
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Hartselle 10, Hazel Green 4: Bailey Lawrence dove over the left field wall and robbed what would have been the lead-taking home run in the bottom of the sixth as the Tigers beat Hazel Green in nine innings to make it to the regional final.
Katie Norgard was 2-for-5 with a three-run home run. Hatsumi Peterson hauled in three RBIs on a home run and a double. Aubrey Mize, Ryley Wolf, Amelia Fox and KJ Prater all knocked in a run each.
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West Morgan 4, Wilson 0: Chasity Rikard didn't allow a single run in a complete game with five strikeouts pitched as West Morgan won the second match of the day.
Maddie Letson was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Hatleigh White and Payson Terry knocked in a run each. Alyssa Cleveland was 2-for-3.
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West Morgan 2, Hamilton 1: Chasity Rikard pitched for nine strikeouts and four hits in a complete game in their first match of the day.
Tensley Suggs and Maddie Letson knocked in a run each. Adi Grace Rodgers and Hatleigh White were both 2-for-3.
The teams competing for the state softball tournament are Hartselle, Athens, West Morgan, and West Limestone.
The regional final for the local softball teams is scheduled for Tuesday.
West Morgan is aiming for their first spot in the state tournament since 2014 with a win in the regional final.
Austin lost to Thompson in the second round and will play in the losers' bracket of the east regional.


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Athens 14, Southside 3: The Golden Eagles scored 11 runs in the final three innings to win their first game of the North Regional in Florence.
Abby Lopez was 4-for-5 with two doubles and home run for five RBIs. Rayne Brewer hit two triples while 4-for-5 to pick up three RBIs. Caitlyn Tedeford hauled in three RBIs while 3-for-4 with a home run. Linsley Gillman and Paisley Howell knocked in a run each. Jaicey Harty pitched a complete game, allowing three hits and striking out 12.
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Athens 13, Mortimer Jordan 3: Every Golden Eagle in the starting lineup got a hit except one in a run-rule win in the second round of the north regional.
Abby Lopez led the way with four RBIs while 2-for-3. Linsley Gillman, Jaicey Harty, and Rayne Brewer all had two RBIs each. Caitlyn Tedeford, Lexie Thornton, and Jay Davis all knocked in a run each.
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West Limestone 9, Cherokee County 1: Katie Kyle threw a complete game one-hitter with 11 strikeouts and two walks as the Wildcats won the first round of the Class 4A East Regional in Albertville.
Raelee Campbell led the way with two RBIs. Lilee Legg was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Ali Blair, Kyle, and Jaidin Hargrove all knocked in a run each.
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West Limestone 5, Madison County 4: West Limestone is only one win away from a trip to the state tournament in Oxford after a regional semifinal win on Monday. They will play Plainview in the regional final on Tuesday at 9 a.m.
Aubrey Bethune led the way with three RBIs on a home run and double while 2-for-3. R Campbell had two RBIs on a base-hit.
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Austin 11, Hillcrest 4: The Black Bears scored seven runs in the first two innings, propelling themselves into the second round of the Class 7A East Regional in Albertville.
Marissa Adams was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Grace Lamb knocked in two runs. Arden Breedlove and Liann Sanchez had an RBI each. Adams pitched all seven innings, allowing eight hits with four strikeouts.
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Thompson 6, Austin 1: Austin could muster only three hits against Class 7A's No. 1 Thompson in the East regional semifinal. The loss puts the Black Bears in the losers bracket.
Arden Breedlove had Austin's only RBI on a home run. Khalilah Mason and Amiya Garth had a hit each.