By Kyle Parmley
HOOVER – Hewitt-Trussville softball won a pair of games Saturday in the Area 6 tournament, but was unable to secure a third consecutive win.
However, the Huskies’ first win of the day, over Vestavia Hills, qualified them for the Class 7A AHSAA state playoffs.
No. 3 Hewitt-Trussville (33-9) took to the field against the Rebels during the morning, knowing that the winner would qualify for postseason play and the loser would see its season end. The Huskies got off to a hot start and held on for a 5-4 victory.
The Huskies plated three runs in the top of the first and would hold the lead the entire contest, despite Vestavia Hills pulling within a single run twice. Hewitt-Trussville scored single runs in the second and the third and was held scoreless the rest of the way. Bailey Murphy and Taylor Beshears each recorded three hits and drove in a run.
By way of the victory over Vestavia Hills, Hewitt-Trussville advanced to the championship round of the tournament. The Huskies had already lost to No. 2 Spain Park on Friday, so they would have to defeat the Jaguars twice to be crowned.
In the first matchup with Spain Park, the Huskies broke open a tight contest with a seven-run sixth inning and went on to win 11-5. Tate Moseley led Hewitt-Trussville with four hits in the game. Maddie Dorsett picked up three hits and three RBIs, while Murphy also knocked in three runs.
A pair of grand slams from the Jags proved too much for Hewitt-Trussville to overcome in the final game of the day, as Spain Park took the tournament title with a 14-5 win. The Huskies led the game 4-2 through five innings, but in much the same fashion as the previous game, a big sixth inning was the difference. Michelle Cole contributed a double and an RBI for the Huskies, while Murphy also picked up a double.
Hewitt-Trussville advances to the North Central Regional, to be played at Sokol Park in Tuscaloosa May 7-9.