Alma sports wrap

Late rally sparks Airedales’ softball team to 9-6 victory

By Kevin Taylor

Alma Schools

Annie Davis, Jaidon Humphrey, and Lily Aladai came up huge in Alma’s six-run seventh-inning Thursday that propelled the Lady Airedales softball team to a 9-6 win over Russellville in the team’s 5A-West opener.

Humphrey, Aladai, and Aurora Huff finished with three hits apiece for the winners (2-1, 1-0). Harper Jernigan went the distance for her second win of the season. She also had two of Alma’s season-high 16 hits.

Humphrey doubled home two runs as part of a three-run second for the winners. She singled home a run in the seventh.

Down 6-3 after six innings, Addison Brannon doubled home Jernigan to cut the Cyclones’ lead to 6-4 in the seventh. Huff’s bloop single scored Eslee Travis with the fifth run, and Humphrey’s RBI single tied the game.

Aladai broke the tie with an RBI single, and Davis followed with a two-run double for a 9-6 lead.

Alma 4, Russellville 2

BASEBALL - Carson Hamilton and Logan English helped limit Russellville to just two runs over nine innings Thursday as the Airedales rallied for a 4-2 victory in the team’s 5A-West opener.

It was Alma’s first victory at Russellville since a 10-0 win over the Cyclones on April 29, 2016.

Hamilton singled home Carson Curd with the first run of the game for a 1-0 lead in the fourth. He added a two-out, RBI single in the ninth to make it 4-2. Hamilton was 3-for-4 on the day. The right-hander pitched 2 ⅓ innings in relief for his first career victory, striking out six and allowing just two hits.

English had a strong outing as well, fanning six, walking four, and allowing just two hits.

Eli Beller and Sammy Moore had two hits apiece for the Airedales, while Curd and Cade Moore also hit safely.