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Opp claimed its fourth consecutive area softball championship in dominating fashion, and Straughn finished as runner-up in the 3A Area 3 Tournament on Friday, April 26.

The Lady Bobcats improved to 36-6-1 for the season with three shutout wins. The Lady Tigers split four games on the day and pushed their record on the year to 18-11.

Opp 15, New Brockton 0
New Brockton loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batter with one out in the opening inning. Bradleigh Lanier rallied back with two strikeouts and ended the threat before Opp used its own two-out magic in the bottom of the first. Addison Moseley delivered an RBI single and plated Reese Cauley with the first run. Courtesy runner Faith Rudy and Moseley scored on bases-loaded walks for a 3-0 lead after one inning.

Lanier struck out two Lady Gamecocks in the visiting second. Amaya Womack earned a one-out double and scored on an RBI single by Cauley. Autumn Green walked with two outs as Cauley scored and lifted the Lady Bobcats to a 5-0 lead at the end of two innings.

Lanier needed only eight pitches for a 1-2-3 top of the third. Crislyn Birge reached third on a defensive miscue and scored on an RBI single from Jaidyn Ivey. Womack followed with an RBI double, and Cauley launched a two-run homer to center. Lanier then tripled and hustled home on an error. Rylie Kate Thrash doubled in Green, and Ivey sent Thrash to the plate for a 12-0 lead with three innings completed.

Lanier held New Brockton in check and struck out the side. Elizabeth Kyser scored on a two-out error before Madie Wilson came home on a bases-loaded walk. Opp grabbed the 15-0 mercy-rule win when Rudy scored on a passed ball.

Moseley finished 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Cauley was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and three runs, and Womack also went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs. Ivey had a 2-for-4 showing with two RBIs and a run. Lanier earned the no-hitter win and struck out eight in four innings for the Lady Bobcats.

Straughn 15, Pike County 0
Straughn erupted for 11 runs in its half of the first and needed only two innings for a 15-0 win over Pike County in its tournament opener.

Sophie Pettus went 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBIs for the Lady Tigers, while Maddie Williamson and Wise were each 1-for-1. A. Williamson finished 1-for-2 with a run and two RBIs. Kyleigh Bennett earned the win and struck out three innings with only one hit allowed in two innings.

Opp 16, Straughn 0
Ivey led off the game with a walk and scored on a two-run blast by Lanier in the opening inning. Cauley worked fast and notched three straight strikeouts in the bottom half as the score remained 2-0 at the end of one inning.

Taylor Adams began the second with a single before Green followed with a two-run homer for a 4-0 lead. Wilson came home on a walk as Birge and Ivey each crossed the plate on an error. Lanier drove in Womack on a sacrifice fly and scored on a wild pitch. Wilson capped the scoring with an RBI single and gave Opp an 11-0 lead. Annlee Wise took first on an error and moved to second on a passed, but Straughn was unable to score.

The Lady Bobcats added four more runs in their half of the third. Allyx Williamson lined a two-out single for the Lady Tigers as the game ended early.

Birge went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run, while Wilson earned a 2-for-3 showing at the plate. Lanier was 1-for-1, and Green finished 1-for-3. Cauley collected the win for Opp and gave up one hit with six strikeouts for the three-inning win. Williamson went 1-for-2 for Straughn.

Straughn 13, Pike County 1
Straughn broke away from a tight game and scored 10 runs in the final two innings and clinched a regional bid with a 13-1 win over Pike County.

Blakeley Smith got the scoring started with an RBI double that brought Bennett to the plate. Wise followed with an RBI double and scored M. Williamson and Smith as the Lady Tigers took a 3-0 lead. The Lady Bulldogs recorded three singles in the bottom of the first, but Jaycee Norton stood tall and recorded a pop-up that ended the threat.

After a scoreless second, M. Williamson and Smith had back-to-back singles in the top of the third. Straughn was unable to cash in either runner before Pike County cut the deficit to 3-1 in its half.

A. Williamson and Bailey scored on an error in the top of the fourth for a 5-1 cushion. Adelaide Dunn then reached on an error and found the plate when Bennett ripped an RBI double. Smith extended the advantage to 8-1 with a two-run single that sent Bennett and M. Williamson home. Wise reached on an error as Smith scored on the blunder. Norton set down the Lady Bulldogs 1-2-3 and kept the score 9-1 at the end of four innings.

Pettus led off the fifth with a single and advanced to third on a double from A. Williamson. Pettus scored the tenth run on a miscue, and Bennett launched a three-run blast for a 13-1 lead. Norton finished with a flourish as the game was called after five.

Smith finished 3-for-3 with two runs and three RBIs, and M. Williamson went 2-for-2 with two runs. Bennett was 3-for-4 with three runs and four RBIs, and A. Williamson finished 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Norton earned the complete-game win and gave up one unearned run on four hits with six strikeouts.

Opp 7, Straughn 0 (Area Championship)
Pitching was the story early in the area title contest as Cauley and McKena Bailey kept the game scoreless through two innings. Thrash led off the bottom of the third with a single and took second on a sacrifice bunt from Birge. Ivey scored the first run on a defensive mistake before Lanier ripped a two-run single. Moseley then cashed in Lanier with an RBI single for a 4-0 lead after three innings.

Williamson opened the fourth with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Dunn. Cauley escaped the threat unscathed as Thrash and Ivey reached with one out in the home half. Bailey snared a line drive in the circle and doubled off Ivey at first to keep the score 4-0.

Cauley took the score to 5-0 with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the fifth. Green added a solo blast in the sixth for a 6-0 cushion. Cauley capped the scoring and drove home Birge with an RBI single for the final tally.

Ivey led Opp with a 4-for-4 performance and scored a run. Cauley was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs and allowed only one hit with 14 strikeouts in a complete-game win. Green was 1-for-3 with an RBI and run, while Lanier finished 1-for-4 with two RBIs and a run. Williamson had a 1-for-3 showing for Straughn.

Opp and Straughn will advance to the South Regional at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex next week. Both teams open regional play with first-round games on Wednesday, May 8, at 10:45 a.m.