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Straughn split a pair of softball games at the AHSAA 4A South Regional and kept its season alive on Tuesday, May 6, falling to Jackson, 4-3, in the first game, and defeating Ashford, 8-6, in the second.

Straughn 3, Jackson 4
Adelaide Dunn led off the game with a walk and scored the first run as Straughn took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Jackson responded back in the bottom half and grabbed a 3-1 lead after one inning.

Jaycee Norton settled into a rhythm as pitching dominated the next four innings. The Lady Tigers crept closer with a run in the sixth. Annlee Wise reached on an error before Sophie Pettus laid down a bunt single. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch, and Adalyn Till cut the deficit to one with a sacrifice fly. Norton shut down the Lady Aggies with two strikeouts in the bottom half and left the score 3-2 after six innings.

Norton then took second on a defensive miscue in the top of the seventh. Katelyn Ranta brought home Norton with an RBI single drew Straughn even at 3-3. Jackson loaded the bases with an error, walk, and hit batter in its half and earned a walk-off single.

Callie Ann McVay was 1-for-2, and Pettus, Norton, and Ranta were all 1-for-3. Norton gave up four runs (two earned) on three hits with 11 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.

Straughn 8, Ashford 6
After Norton pitched a 1-2-3 top of the first, Pettus earned a one-out single in the bottom of the frame. Brinlee Taylor hit a two-out single as Pettus came home with the first run and a 1-0 lead after one inning.

Ashford scored three runs over the next two innings and took a 3-1 lead. Straughn used some two-out magic in its half and quickly reclaimed the lead. Till and Taylor had back-to-back RBI doubles and tied the game. Norton singled as Taylor scored the go-ahead run and made the score 4-3 after three innings.

The Lady Tigers continued to produce with two outs and gained some breathing room in the bottom of the fourth. Pettus extended the lead to 6-3 with an RBI double, and Till followed with an RBI single. Taylor then tripled for an 8-3 lead after four innings.

The Lady Yellow Jackets rallied with two runs in the fifth and a single run in the seventh, but it was not enough as the game ended.

Till and Taylor both finished 3-for-4, and Pettus was 2-for-4 as Straughn racked up 12 hits in the win. Norton tossed a complete game and allowed six runs (three earned) on nine hits with four strikeouts for the win.

The Lady Tigers (20-19) will continue play in the elimination bracket at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, May 7, needing three wins to advance to the state tournament.