Lacy Ker went 3-for-4 with a double. Hannah Strength batted 1-for-4 and scored two runs, one on a sacrifice fly by Rachel Baucom in the third inning and one by stealing home in the fifth inning. Dandi Ammons scored the other Wallace State run in the fifth inning on a single by Sallie Beth Burch. Ammons was 1-for-4 on the day with an RBI single that scored Baucom in the fifth. Burch went 1-for-4 with the RBI. Jena Franks batted 1-for-3 and delivered a fifth inning sacrifice bunt to advance Strength. Ashley Smith went 1-for-4. Baucom was 1-for-4 with the RBI and a stolen base. Kaitlyn King went 1-for-3.
Following the tournament, ACCC Commissioner Al Cox presented awards to Wallace State as ACCC Champions, to Clem for Coach of the Year, and to several Wallace State players making the All-Region and All-Tournament Teams.
“What a tremendous tournament we’ve had,” said Cox. “The level of competition has been such that we’ve never seen.”
“We’re very proud of the Hanceville girls, and know they’ll represent us well at the national tournament,” he said.
Rachel Baucom was named All-Region Player of the Year and All-Tournament Most Valuable Player.
Joining Baucom on the All-Region team were Jennifer Sexton (First Team) and Dandi Ammons (Second Team).
The All-Tournament Team included Baucom, Sexton, Ammons and Holli Hill.
All-Northern Division honors went to Baucom, Hill, Sexton, Ammons, Hannah Strength, Amanda Rogers, and Kaitlyn King.
The Lady Lions will leave for the NJCAA Division I Softball Tournament in Plant City, Fla. on Monday. Their previous trips came in 2003, 2005 and 2007, when they also won ACCC Championships. They finished 7th in the nation at the national tournament last year.
For more information about Wallace State softball, visit www.wallacestate.edu, www.wscsoftball.com, or www.acccsports.org. To learn more about the NJCAA Division I Softball Tournament, visit ALABASTER — The Wallace State softball team won its second consecutive ACCC tournament title Wednesday with a 4-1 win over Wallace-Dothan in Alabaster.
Staff reports sports@cullmantimes.com
It was the first back-to-back state championships for the Lady Lions, and their fourth time to hoist the trophy. The Lady Lions have earned a fourth trip to the NJCAA Division I national tournament, which will be held in Plant City, Fla. beginning next Thursday. Coach Jayne Clem was named ACCC All-Region Coach of the Year for the seventh time in nine years. She also earned ACCC Northern Division Coach of the Year honors. “It’s been a great season in which we have already broken all kinds of records,” said Clem. “We just accomplished our next-to-last goal of the year.” The one remaining goal, she said, is to win a national championship.
Wallace (64-8) advanced undefeated through the four-day double elimination tournament, defeating Faulkner State 2-0, Jeff State 4-0, and Central Alabama 3-1 in earlier rounds. “It’s been an awesome tournament,” Clem said. “We came out doing what we were supposed to do and followed our game plan. Today, our hitting came around, especially in the fourth and fifth innings.”
Holli Hill tossed a complete game with 11 strikeouts in the win. She gave up one run on two hits and walked none. Lacy Kerr went 3-for-4 with a double to lead the offense, and Hannah Strength went 1-for-4 and scored two runs. Rachel Baucom added a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the third. Dandi Ammons scored another in the fifth on a single by Sallie Beth Burch. Clem also surpassed the 400 win mark during the season. The Lady Lions will leave for the NJCAA Division I Softball Tournament in Plant City, Fla. Monday. Their previous trips came in 2003, 2005 and 2007, finishing seventh last season.