There was a time in Montgomery, AL that death, taxes, and ACA (15-19) advancing to State in softball were guarantees. However, since Chris Goodman’s retirement in 2021, the Eagles have been unable to advance past Regionals, until Thursday. After two years of disappointment an unknown coach, Megan Whisenant, was given the reins of the program. There were many questions heading into the season with a new coach and players who jumped ship while times were low. Although it hasn’t always been pretty this year, this team has fought and scratched and improved from previous seasons. All the hard work and dedication to the school and the program paid off with a 9-8 defeat of Beulah to keep the season alive.
The first game of the day was the winner bracket finals against in-town rival, St James. In a curious move, the Eagles started Maddie Owens in the circle to maybe throw the timing off against the Trojans or maybe just save arms for a possible second game. Whatever the thinking, Owens was ineffective and gave up eight runs in the first after ACA had scratched across a run in the top half. Maddie Traywick came in and pitched the rest of the way as Alabama Christian actually outscored its opponent 5-3 the rest of the way. Lily Sconyers and Traywick led the offense with two hits apiece in the 11-6 defeat. Traywick went yard for the third game in a row and joined McKinzie Kilpatrick as the only players in program history to hit at least 10 homers in a season.
After the loss to St James the Eagles sat and waited for the winner of Beulah and Randolph County. Once the opponent was decided, ACA set its sights on State with a match up against Beulah. The Bobcats struck quickly with two in the top of the first for an early lead. In the second, ACA got on the board with four runs. Campbell Hammett and Izzy Warrick delivered run scoring hits to highlight the frame. Beulah responded immediately with four of their own in the third. The first two batters reached and were sent home from a three-run homer to take the lead. The Bobcats added another for a 6-4 lead. The defense gave one back to ACA as Annabelle Pugh scored from first after an outfield error to cut the deficit to a single run.
Neither team scored over the next two innings and ACA still trailed as they entered the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Chloe Childs and Campbell Hammett hit back to back singles to set the table for Izzy Warrick. On a 2-2 pitch, Warrick doubled to center to give ACA the lead. The clutch hit must have shaken the Bobcats because the next two batters reached on errors which plated two more runs for the Eagles. Heading to the seventh the Eagles led by three and were looking to close out the contest. However, a two-out, two-run single certainly put the outcome in doubt. Warrick was unfazed and struck out the next batter on three pitches to send ACA back to State, where they belong.
Izzy Warrick picked up the win in the circle with 11 punch outs over seven innings and starred at the plate with a 2 for 4 performance with a double, two runs scored, and the two game winning RBIs. Annabelle Pugh and Campbell Hammett wach scored two runs as well.