Woodland runs away with area title; Handley advances to regional

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For the second straight season the Woodland Lady Bobcats will enter regional play as the 1A, Area 8 champions after they went 3-0 in area tournament play Monday and Tuesday.

Woodland closed out the area title with a crushing 18-3 win over Fayetteville in four innings after the two teams had played three tight contests over the course of the season up to that point.

Fayetteville stuck with pitcher Brylee Payton for the duration of the championship game after Lauren Cook had already pitched two full games earlier in the day. Cook entered the game having pitched 165.1 of Fayetteville’s 180.2 innings for the season.

Woodland took full advantage of Cook’s absence, scoring multiple runs in each inning and closing it out with eight runs in the bottom of the fourth to secure the 15-run, mercy-rule victory.

Woodland had nine hits and drew 10 walks in the game, and the top of the order made the greatest contribution to the Bobcats’ offensive efforts.

After Woodland gave up three runs in the top of the first, Alyssa Taylor led off the bottom of the inning with an inside-the-park home run that sparked a 4-run inning and put Woodland ahead to stay. Taylor finished 2-for-3 with three RBI and three runs scored. Allie Puckett, who bats in the No. 2 spot in the lineup, went 3-for-3 and drove in seven runs for Woodland.

It was an unusually lopsided win against a team that Woodland split its two regular season games with, and had to fight to a 6-4 win earlier in the day to earn a spot in the championship game.

That game was tied 4-4 going to the sixth inning before Woodland scored the go-ahead run on a Lucy Phillips triple with one out in the bottom of the sixth. Woodland added one more run on a Taylor base hit that brought Phillips home.

Woodland rested most of its starters in the tournament opener against Winterboro Monday. Woodland won that game 28-0 in three innings after they scored 19 times in the first inning.

For the tournament Taylor went 6-for-9 with a home run, 5 RBI and seven runs scored. Puckett finished 5-for-9 and drove in 10 runs.

Railey Williams pitched a complete game in each of the wins over Fayetteville Tuesday. She went seven innings and gave up six hits and two earned runs in the first game, then threw four innings and allowed three earned runs in the championship game.

Woodland will play in the 1A Central Regional at Lagoon Park in Montgomery. Their first game will be Tuesday, May 12 at 10:45 a.m. Based on reported results in the Area 5 tournament, Woodland’s first regional game will be against Area 5 runner-up Keith.

Handley

The Handley Lady Tigers finished as the runner-up to Munford in the 4A, Area 8 tournament at Munford Monday. Handley will advance to the 4A Central Regional in Montgomery as a result.

The tournament was a similar representation of the regular season as Handley defeated Talladega 9-1 and 16-0, while losing to Munford 17-2 and 14-4, the latter of which came in the area championship game.

Handley will begin regional tournament play against Prattville Christian at 9 a.m. Monday, May 11 at Lagoon Park in Montgomery.

RCHS

RCHS, which won its third straight area championship Saturday, will play its first game in the Northeast Regional in Albertville against Locust Fork at 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 13.