By Kyle Parmley
TUSCALOOSA — Whichever team won the 2015 Hillcrest Patriot Classic was going to have to earn it.
Hewitt-Trussville did just that.
The Lady Huskies ripped off five straight wins in a single-elimination format, winning the tournament by knocking off Sparkman 4-2 in the championship bout Saturday night.
“The team really worked hard to battle against some of the best pitchers in the state,” Hewitt-Trussville head coach Karen Johns said. “All the wins were a complete team effort. We take each game as an opportunity to learn and grow.”
Teams participated in pool play Friday to determine the bracket for Saturday’s marathon. Hewitt-Trussville won both their matchups, defeating Cordova 1-0 and Hale County 9-1.
Eighth-grader Molly Cobb pitched the first two games of the day for the Lady Huskies, hurling complete games in both of them. Her team was able to beat Brookwood 4-3 before shutting out West Blocton 12-0 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Hewitt-Trussville was pitted against tournament host Hillcrest in the next game, when junior pitcher Bailey Murphy stepped into the circle and stayed there the rest of the day. She shut out the Lady Patriots 2-0 in the team’s third contest of the day, and hurled complete games to beat Curry 2-1 and Sparkman in the title game.
Murphy was one of four players to receive accolades from the tournament, as sophomore Sara Borden and eighth-grader Kailey Walters joined her on the all-tournament team. Wallace State signee Taylor Beshears took home the tournament MVP honors.
Pinson Valley also participated in the Patriot Classic, as the Lady Indians split their games Friday before falling Saturday. The Lady Indians lost to West Blocton 4-1 and blanked Winfield 7-0. They fell to Northside on Saturday, a team that advanced to the quarterfinal round.
Clay-Chalkville was in action over the weekend as well, as the Lady Cougars took part in the Green Wave Classic hosted by Leeds. The team played in a pair of games Friday, falling to Leeds 3-1 and defeating Ashville 7-6. Their run in the tournament concluded with a 7-0 loss to Oneonta on Saturday.