No. 7 Wallace State softball cruises in ACCC Tournament, winning 13th title in program history
Wallace State softball in ACCC championship: https://www.flickr.com/photos/wallacestate/albums/72157719137405923
HANCEVILLE, ALA. – Wallace State’s 7th-ranked softball team navigated through the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC)
Tournament as it did during the regular season – with a flurry of offensive firepower
and strong sophomore pitching.
The Lions dominated the event, winning the program’s 13th conference tournament title and the first since 2018, sealing the championship with
a 12-4 victory in five innings over Central Alabama at Veterans Park in Alabaster
on Sunday.
Wallace State (53-4) outscored its four opponents 44-4, not yielding a run until the
championship game. The Lions also clubbed nine home runs, including three in the championship
game, to increase the school record round-trippers total to 115.
Wallace State softball has won six consecutive games and 27 of its last 28 games.
“I’m very proud of this team. I doubt many teams have run-ruled their way through
the winner’s bracket. This team has bought into the weight room and the expected work
ethic. They understand how we do things at Wallace State,” said coach A.J. Daugherty.
“We played Wallace State softball and a championship is usually the result.”
It’s the third conference title under Daugherty in five seasons. He was named the
2021 ACCC Coach of the Year, reaching the 200-win mark with the Lions in Saturday’s
second victory.
“Everyone at Wallace State expects you to win. There are a lot of people invested
in our program across campus, so it’s special to bring the championship back,” Daugherty
said. “The expectation of winning is one thing that attracted me to Wallace State,
so it’s nice to deliver on that.”
Daugherty also credited assistant coach Cadi Oliver for her valuable contributions
to the team’s success.
Wallace State now advances to the NJCAA Division I National Championship in Yuma,
Ariz., on May 25-29. The Lions will seek the program’s third national championship.
Wallace State opened the tournament Friday with a comfortable 10-0 win against Calhoun.
On Saturday, the Lions added wins of 14-0 and 8-0 against Central Alabama and Lurleen
B. Wallace CC respectively.
In the championship game, Wallace State faced early deficits of 2-0 and 4-3 before
the bats went to work in the third and fourth innings. The Lions combined to crank
three home runs, courtesy of Morgan White, Madisen Adams and Gracie Benton.
White blasted a two-run homer in the third. In the fourth, Benton had a solo shot
and Adams added a three-run blast.
Benton, a freshman from Hayden, was named tournament MVP.
“We’re a team of home run hitters. Any hitter from one to nine in the lineup can hit
one out,” Benton said. “It’s a great weapon to have.”
White, Felicity Frame and Jaiden Farnetti were also All-Tournament selections for
the Lions.
White and Maddie Cartron each had a pair of homers in the tournament. Cartron has
24 homers this season, surpassing the previous school record set by Kori Benson in
2013.
Farnetti, Brantly Bonds and Kelsey McPeters also homered throughout the four wins.
“It’s an awesome feeling to win a championship, especially after COVID-19 cut our
season short last year,” said Bonds, a sophomore from Corner. “It took everyone pulling
on the same rope and believing in each other. We look forward to going to Arizona
to do the same thing.”
Sophomore Raven Clark was the winning pitcher in relief.
The sophomore pitching trio of Clark, Haylee Folds and Josie Thompson has been solid
all season, and they combined to keep each opponent at bay throughout the tournament,
not allowing a run until the championship game.
“We feed off each other and know the offense has our backs if we struggle. It relieves
pressure when your offense is as lethal as ours,” Folds said.
Wallace State softball earned the seventh ACCC championship for the college this academic
year, joining both cross country and tennis teams, volleyball and women’s golf.
Players also on the roster and not previously mentioned are Erin Chambliss, Abigail
Beech, Andrea Harbin, Abigail Waters, Kalli Cartee, Madison Sanders, Abigail Bryars,
Harper Niblett, Olivia Ball, Jessica Edde, Macy Anderson, Megan Warhurst, Lauren McCoy
and Lily Calvert.
Managers are Dalton Wilson and Savannah Mims.
For more information about Wallace State athletics, visit www.athletics.wallacestate.edu or the athletics Facebook page at www.wallacestate.edu/athleticsfb.
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Wallace State’s softball team won the 13th ACCC Tournament championship in program
history, improving to 53-4 overall.id="attachment_17770" align="alignnone" width="300"
Wallace State players run to accept the ACCC championship trophy.id="attachment_17771" align="alignnone" width="300"
Wallace State players hold up the 2021 ACCC Tournament trophy.id="attachment_17773" align="alignnone" width="300"
Madison Sanders, left, and Morgan White embrace during the postgame celebration.id="attachment_17774" align="alignnone" width="300"
Sophomores Brantly Bonds and Haylee Folds (19) share a hug after Sunday’s championship.id="attachment_17775" align="alignnone" width="300"
Haylee Folds delivers a pitch to the plate in the second inning of Sunday’s title
game.id="attachment_17776" align="alignnone" width="300"
Sophomore Andrea Harbin acknowledges the dugout after a two-run single on Sunday.id="attachment_17777" align="alignnone" width="300"
Freshman leadoff hitter Felicity Frame lays down a bunt single.______________________________
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