Lady Golden Tigers reach for 30-win season

By Josh Prewitt / For the FCT

“Our current record is 29-15. The senior leadership we have had has been instrumental in our success. All six starters – Lily Holt, Brooke Borden, Morgan George, Megan Brockway, Jess Guzman and Jakari Suggs – have done everything they can,” Coach John Smith said. “Our work is still not done – Area, Region and State is our goal.”

Florence Bash Tournament, April 15-16
Russellville 7, Westminster Christian 1
Brooke Borden’s RBI single in the top of the seventh snapped a 1-1 tie and sparked a six-run rally that sent the Lady Golden Tigers to a win in their opening game of the tournament last Friday.
Guzman had a two-run triple in the big seventh inning and finished 3-for-4 with a run and a stolen base. Kalli Beth Daniel was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, and George was 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored. Suggs added an RBI double.
Suggs picked up the win with a complete game, allowing just one unearned run and four hits in seven innings while striking out five.
Wilson 11, Russellville 2
Wilson scored 10 runs in the second inning to break up a 1-1 tie, and Russellville finished last Friday’s loss with six errors and only five hits.
Emma Whitfield was 1-for-1 with an RBI, and Suggs drove in a run with a sac fly. Lauren Rogers and Daniel each went 1-for-1 with a run, and Guzman and Karlie Moore also had one hit apiece.
Colbert Heights 5, Russellville 4
Russellville rallied to score four runs with two outs in the top of the fifth to tie the game, but Emma James delivered the game-winning RBI single for the Lady Wildcats in the bottom of the sixth Saturday morning.
Russellville trailed 4-0 with two down and nobody on in the fifth before Moore singled and Kayla Cochran bunted for a hit. An RBI single by Guzman got the Lady Golden Tigers on the board, and then Daniel’s two-run double cut the lead to one. Brockway followed with an RBI double to tie the game.
Daniel finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Lily Holt also had two hits.
Russellville 4, Brewer 3
George hit a two-run double in a four-run first inning, and Russellville held off a late rally to beat Brewer on Saturday.
Suggs earned the win, allowing just one hit and striking out two in three scoreless innings. Brewer scored three runs (just one earned) off reliever Whitfield in the top of the sixth, but the Lady Golden Tigers held on.
Whitfield finished with two strikeouts in three innings.
George was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Cochran also went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Borden, Daniel and Guzman each added one hit.
Russellville 7, Belgreen 2
Kalli Beth Daniel delivered a tie-breaking RBI single to spark a four-run rally in the third, and Emma Whitfield held Belgreen scoreless over the final four innings, to earn the win on Saturday.
Russellville grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI double by Brockway and an RBI single by Suggs, but the Lady Bulldogs rallied to tie the game with two runs in the top of the second.
Daniel’s go-ahead hit in the third made it 3-2, and Whitfield added an RBI double later in the inning. The Lady Golden Tigers scored another run on a squeeze bunt by Borden.
Daniel finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored, and Brockway was 2-for-2 with two runs scored. Whitfield also had two hits, and Cochran added a double.
Whitfield (8-3) relieved Suggs in the third inning and gave up just two hits the rest of the way.
Adamsville (Tenn) 4, Russellville 0
Holt had two of Russellville’s three hits in Saturday’s shutout loss. Borden added a single.
Russellville 11, West Point High 0
Suggs and Whitfield combined on a three-hit shutout for Russellville on Tuesday, and Holt’s two-run double sparked a seven-run second inning as the Lady Golden Tigers cruised to an 11-0 rout of area rival West Point.
With the five-inning win, Russellville (26-13 overall) finished 3-3 in Class 5A, Area 14 and avenged a loss to West Point from the previous day, when the Lady Warriors rallied for four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to win 5-2.
Holt, a senior, would later add an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, finishing 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored.
Cochran was 3-for-3 with a double and a stolen base, and Borden added a double and two runs scored. Karlie Moore went 1-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs, and Daniel was 1-for-2 with two runs scored. Guzman had three RBIs.
Suggs (18-8) pitched the first three innings, allowing two hits and striking out one. Whitfield relieved and worked two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out one.
Russellville 8, Hamilton High 3
After being down two runs in top of the fifth inning, the Lady Golden Tigers got a spark as Cochran advanced to second base on a passed ball, then Daniel tripled to center field as Cochran scored to put Russellville on the board. Daniel followed up with another run to tied the game at 2-2 after Moore doubled to center field.
Russellville continued their surge as they went on to outscore Hamilton 6-1 to win 8-3.
George and Cochran both led Russellville, going 3-4. Both earned team high two RBI’s each and one run a piece.
Borden had team high two runs. Whitfield and Suggs combined to pitch all seven innings. Both allowed two hits and one error each. Suggs gave up two runs to Whitfield’s one. Suggs had four strikeouts, and Whitfield had three with one walk.
Suggs had 52/38 pitches-strikes. Whitfield had 42/25. Whitfield had ten first pitch strikes to Suggs eight.
Russellville 13, Sheffield 4
The Lady Golden Tigers came alive in the thirrd inning, scoring six runs after being tied at 2-2 to take 8-2 lead and never looked back. Russellville cruised to a 13-4 win over Sheffield in four innings.
Moore went 3-4, scorning one run and getting team high four RBI’s. Daniel, George, Holt, Cochran and Madison Lamon all scored two runs each in a team effort to lift Russellville to a big win over Sheffield.
Suggs pitched 2.2 innings giving up only three hits and runs. She struck out three batters. Suggs threw 45 pitches, of which 34 were strikes and 11 were first pitch strikes with no errors.
Russellville 4, Hatton 5
The Golden Tigers were down two runs in the sixth inning and came back to tie the game at 4-4. Hatton would go on to win 5-4 after Berryman’s single to short stop, allowing Sarley to score the winning run in an exciting low-scoring affair.
Suggs pitched four inningsn allowing seven hits, three runs, and four walks. Suggs gave up three errors also. She threw 44 strikes out of her 81 pitches and threw 12 first pitch strikes.
Russellville 3, Colbert Heights 7
After losing previous game, the Golden Tigers would lose again in back-to-back games – this time, to Colbert Heights, who scored five runs in the first inning.
Daniel, Moore and Cochran would all scored one run each for Russellville.
Russellville 9, Shoals Christian 5
The Lady Golden Tigers bounced back after a two game skid to beat Shoals Christian. Russellville was down 2-0 in the first inning then came back in the second to take a 4-2 lead. Russellville wouldn’t stop there as they scored five runs in the third inning and would go on to win 9-5.
Suggs went 2-2 getting two hits but no runs. Borden and George went 2-2, turning their two hits into two runs. Lamon finished with two runs. George had game high three RBI’s.
Suggs pitched three innings, giving up five hits and four runs. She had two strikeouts and four errors.
“I’m very proud of this team,” Smith said. “We broke last year’s record of 28-16. They worked hard all last summer, fall workout and preseason, and carried it into this season.
“We’ve really been blessed at Russellville,” he added. “We came in preaching a team attitude. The parents and players bought in, and we have been getting better each year. We are a family. A team of players, parents and coaches working together for the betterment of RHS softball.
“These seniors are the winningest senior class in Golden Tiger softball history with 67 wins so far.”

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