Belgreen captures fifth straight Franklin County Softball Tournament crown

County champions. Again.

For the fifth straight year, the Belgreen High School varsity softball team captured the Franklin County Tournament crown, besting Tharptown 2-1 in the championship game on Saturday, March 29.

Belgreen (16-10) went undefeated in the tournament, beating Tharptown 11-5 and Vina 7-2 on Friday to advance to the championship.

Tharptown (10-7), for its part, after falling into the loser’s bracket, won three straight games on Saturday to reach the final. The Lady Wildcats, in back-to-back-to-back contests, beat Phil Campbell 7-2, Red Bay 6-4, and Vina 9-3.

The championship game was a four-inning pitching duel between Belgreen’s Zoey Blaxton and Tharptown’s Alyssa Fischer with Blaxton allowing just one earned run off three hits and Fischer giving up two earned runs on five hits while striking out four batters.

The Lady Bulldogs drew first blood in the bottom of the second inning when Blaxton, helping herself in the circle, tagged up to score from third on a sacrifice fly.

Tharptown tied the game in the next inning, the top of the third, on an Alyssa Fischer solo home run.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Lady Bulldogs scored the go-ahead and what proved to be the game-winning run. A leadoff single by Mackinley Hogan got Belgreen started and an RBI single by Kendra Williams brought Hogan around to score, giving BHS the 2-1 lead and ultimately the victory.

The Lady Bulldogs’ junior varsity squad also won their Franklin County Tournament, giving Belgreen the sweep.