The Russellville varsity softball team won the first area game of the season by taking a 5-4 home victory over the Lawrence County Red Devils March 14.

RHS (12-6-1) got the hard-fought win by coming from behind after the Lady Devils hit two first-inning home runs, with one coming on the first pitch of the game. Russellville got three runs in the bottom of the third after scoring one in the first to take a 4-2 lead.
RHS added a fourth inning run and Lawrence County scored twice in the top of the fifth on McKenzie Hyche’s second home run of the contest to draw within a run. In the top of the seventh inning, Russellville head coach Rick Lawson made the decision to walk Hyche intentionally with two outs, and the move paid off when Jacey Moore struck out the final batter of the game with the potential tying run on second after a stolen base.

“I’m really proud of them, knowing we were going to be in a dogfight when we came out here today,” Lawson said. “To start the area off 1-0 against this brutal area competition and get that upper hand is huge.”

Ticelee Gholston and Addison Holcomb had two hits each to lead Russellville. Holcomb drove in two runs with a double, and Gholston also picked up a RBI with a single. Jacey Moore also had a RBI single and Bryleigh Butler added a double. Jacey Moore pitched a complete game in the circle. The senior allowed seven hits and three earned runs. Moore struck out six and walked two batters.

Earlier in the week, Russellville fell at home to Hamilton by a 3-2 final score. The Aggies went ahead 3-0 before the Lady Golden Tigers scored single runs in the second and fifth frames.

Bryleigh Butler had a RBI double while Ticelee Gholston added a single and a RBI. Khristyan Huerta had two Russellville hits, and Emma Campbell had one. Jacey Moore did the pitching for RHS.

Russellville went to Florence March 12, and the Lady Falcons won 6-3. RHS got two hits from Paislee James and a triple by Gholston. Emma Campbell and Jemma Moore had doubles, while Holcomb added a single. Russellville got two RBI from Gholston and one by James who also pitched all six innings.