Special to The Tribune
MONTGOMERY — The North All-Stars scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to claw out as 6-3 win over the South in the first game of the 2022 AHSAA All-Star Week North-South softball competition at Lagoon Park Wednesday afternoon.
Hewitt-Trussville’s Hannah Dorsett knocked in the final run for the North, while reigning Miss Softball Kenleigh Cahalan doubled and scored to give the North its initial lead in the game.
Becca Chadwick of Northside High School hurled the final two innings to get the North win. Starting pitcher Lily Boswell of Plainview pitched two innings, allowed one hit, three runs and had four walks and four strikeouts. Ella Singletary of Ardmore pitched three strong innings of middle relief allowing one hit, no runs and striking out four.
South pitcher Kaylee Navarre of Brantley hurled the final three innings – striking out the side in the fourth frame but yielding all three runs in the sixth inning rally to get the loss. She struck out five. South starter Ryley Harrison of Fairhope pitched the first three innings, yielded three hits, three runs and stuck out seven.
The North took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with Hewitt-Trussville’s Kenleigh Cahalan drilling a one-out double to left field just out of reach of the outfielder and scored on a single up the middle by Sparkman’s Cassie Reasner.
Boswell opened the game with two straight walks, then struck out four of the first six outs. She ran into control trouble in the top of the third when she walked three batters in a row. Anna Segrest of Elmore County followed with a two-RBI double, and Taylor Hunt of Daphne scored on a passed ball but Segrest was tagged out at the plate trying to score on the same play. Reliever Singletary then got the next two outs but the South took over the lead 3-1.
In the bottom of the inning, Willesha Lang of Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa drew a walk, stole second and scored on a single by Jenna Whitfield of Russellville. Whitfield tied the game with some heads-up running. She moved to third on a fielder’s choice and then raced home with a stolen base.
The South threatened in the top of the sixth with back-to-back hits by Brewbaker Tech’s Taniya Brown and Emily Mizelle of Baker. Singletary, who moved from the mound to left field, fired a relay to shortstop Katherine Flannery of Spain Park, who gunned down Brown at the plate with catcher Lang making the tag.
The North rallied in the bottom of the inning to take a 6-3 lead when Reasner singled and scored on a double by Jadyn Foster of Sand Rock. Foster then scored on an infield error. Hewitt-Trussville’s Hannah Dorsett drove in the final run of the frame with a single to left that plated Alyssa Hastings of Buckhorn, who reached on the infield miscue.
Chadwick set the South down in order in the top of the seventh to seal the win.
The North had six hits with Reasner going 2-for-2. Segrest had a double and two RBIs to pace the South, which had just four hits.
With the win, the North took a 28-23-3 lead in the series that got underway in 1997. The second game of the doubleheader was scheduled to follow at 6 p.m.