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Andalusia won its seventh straight game and snapped Opp’s 30-game home winning streak with a 3-2 win in varsity softball action on Tuesday, March 18.

The Lady Bulldogs pushed their season record to 13-4. They spoiled senior night for the Lady Bobcats who took their first home loss since April 6, 2022, and fell to 10-7 on the year.

Taya Newton led off the game on the first pitch with a single. Madi Everett laid down a sacrifice bunt and moved Newton to second. Newton took third on a passed ball and scored the first run when Sarah Katherine Reese knocked an RBI single. Bradleigh Lanier got the next two outs to end the threat, but the Bulldogs jumped in front early, 1-0.

Crislyn Birge led off the bottom of the first with a triple but was tagged out at the plate when Lanier reached on a fielder’s choice. Taylor Adams then walked and Lanier stole third, but Kailey Jackson held the Bobcats off the board and left the score 1-0 after one inning.

Lanier worked a 1-2-3 top of the second and earned strikeouts of Austin Seal and McKenzie Barrow. McKenzie Henderson kept the inning alive with two outs after a defensive miscue. Rylie Kate Thrash walked, but Jackson stranded both runners and maintained her 1-0 lead after two innings.

Lanier started to settle into a groove and struck out the side in the visiting third. Newton picked up a two-out single, but Andalusia was unable to break through. Jackson continued to shine in the home half and needed just 12 pitches to retire Opp in order.

Jackson was hit by a pitch in the top of the fourth and stole second. The Lady Bulldogs held their one-run cushion when Lanier worked out of the small jam and hung another zero on the board. The Lady Bobcats finally broke the scoreboard and manufactured the tying run in the bottom of the frame. Jaidyn Ivey and Autumn Green took back-to-back walks before Jackson retired the next two batters. Thrash also walked and loaded the bases as Birge tied the score at 1-1 with an RBI infield single and scored Ivey. Jackson kept her composure and struck out Lanier leaving the score tied at 1-1 after four innings.

Much like the home fourth, Andalusia opened its half of the fifth with leadoff walks to Barrow and Stella Wells. Addison Moseley took over in the circle and promptly struck out Blakelynn Bass. The free passes continued when Newton reached, and Everett drew a bases-loaded walk driving in Barrow with the go-ahead run. Wells then came home on an RBI groundout by Reese, but the lead was 3-1. Opp answered back in the bottom of the frame when Green doubled home Moseley who had singled with one out. Jackson struck out Wilson and preserved the 3-2 lead after five innings.

Jessa Ann Dubose led off the sixth with a double and reached third on a passed ball. Barrow walked and also moved into scoring position, but Moseley stood her ground and earned a strikeout and fly out for a scoreless frame. Thrash drew a one-out walk in the bottom half, but Jackson recorded two groundouts and kept the lead.

The Lady Bulldogs went quietly in the top of the seventh and gave their rivals a chance to tie or even win the game. The Lady Bobcats put two runners aboard on a walk and error, but Dubose caught a fly ball for the final out and ended the game.

Newton was 3-for-3 with a run scored. Dubose finished 1-for-3, and Reese went 1-for-4 with a run scored. Jackson grabbed the win behind two earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts in all seven innings.

Birge was 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Green and Moseley both earned 1-for-3 outings. Lanier took the loss and gave up three runs (two earned) on three hits and struck out seven in four innings. Moseley finished with five strikeouts and issued two hits over the final three innings.

The two teams, along with Straughn, will play in the Andalusia Spring Fling Tournament on Friday, March 21, and Saturday, March 22.

Andalusia has pool games Friday against Brantley at 5:30 p.m., Slocomb at 7 p.m., and Saturday against Opp at 9:30 a.m.

Opp has pool games Friday against Slocomb at 3:30 p.m., Brantley at 7 p.m., and Saturday against Andalusia at 9:30 a.m.

Straughn has pool play games Friday against Elba at 5:30 p.m., Kinston at 7 p.m., and Saturday against Wicksburg at 11 a.m.

After pool play games, all eight teams will be seeded 1 through 8 and placed in a single-elimination bracket on Saturday beginning at 12:30 p.m. The championship game is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m.