Wallace State Softball Sweeps Doubleheader With Visiting Northwest-Shoals

The Lions' softball team bounced back from their doubleheader loss on the road at Northwest-Shoals with a sweep of their own. They defeated the Patriots 7-4 in game one and held on for a 4-3 win in the second game.

Wallace State is now 27-8 overall and 9-3 in conference play. Northwest-Shoals falls to 14-20 and 8-8 in conference. 

GM 1: Wallace State 7, Northwest-Shoals 4

After the Patriots scored two in the top of the first, the Lions responded with five runs to take the lead in the bottom of the inning. Wallace got on the board when Charli Kyser's sac fly brought home Tenayja Thomas. After Brooklyn Sertell was hit by a pitch, Blakelyn Austin singled and drove in Brandy Phillips and Ashlyn Burns for a 3-2 lead. After a walk and a pitching change, Lexie Kelly singled to bring home Sertell. Reese Decker then grounded out to bring home Austin for Wallace's fifth run.

Northwest-Shoals added a run in the fourth and fifth innings to cut the Lions' lead to 5-4.

Wallace scored two more runs in the bottom of the fifth to push the lead to 7-4. Sertell got the scoring started when her sac fly drove home Phillips. Austin then doubled to left, driving home Kyser for the final run.

Madeline Howard entered the circle in the sixth in relief of starter Phillips. Howard earned the save with two scoreless innings. Phillips pitched five innings to get the win, allowing four runs on 10 hits.

Austin finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored, while Phillips was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Kelly and Kyser each had a hit and an RBI, while Decker and Sertell each had an RBI.

GM 2: Wallace State 4, Northwest-Shoals 3

The Patriots struck first with three runs in the top of the third inning. They chased starting pitcher Howard from the game after their scoring outburst. Ava Smith entered in relief to end the third inning. 

Northwest-Shoals' pitching held the Lions scoreless until the bottom of the sixth when they scored three runs to tie the game. Wallace got solo home runs from Kyser and Sertell to cut the lead to 3-2. They tied the game on back-to-back doubles from Austin and Leah Graves, the second driving home Austin.

Graves ended the game in the bottom of the eighth with a walk-off homer, the third for the Lions. 

Graves and Austin finished 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Graves added two RBIs. Kyser and Sertell each finished with a hit, an RBI and a run scored. 

Smith pitched 5.1 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win. She allowed only two hits.

Up Next

The Lions will open a four-game conference series with Shelton State (16-12, 8-4). Wallace will travel to Shelton for two games on Thursday before hosting the Bucs for two on Saturday.

Shelton has eight wins in their last 10 games. They are led by pitchers Victoria Hagemann and MacKenzie Harper. Hagemann is fifth in the conference with a 2.13 ERA and eight wins. Harper is third with 76 strikeouts.