RHS softball eliminated by Springville in Class 5A North Regional

The Russellville High School varsity softball team ended its season in the Class 5A North Regional on May 8 as the Lady Golden Tigers were eliminated by Springville 11-1.

After opening the tournament May 7 with a 2-1 upset over Springville, a team that was regularly ranked No. 1 in the state this season, Russellville was dropped into the elimination bracket following a 3-1 loss to eventual state champion Jasper. A 6-0 shutout of Brewer the following day kept the Lady Golden Tigers’ dreams alive, but they once again drew Springville, who avenged the previous defeat and ended Russellville’s 2024 campaign.

A two-run single by Paislee James in the top of the third inning and an excellent performance in the circle by Jacey Moore were key for the Lady Golden Tigers in their opening win over Springville. James’ two RBI, scoring Khristyan Huerta and Sadie Odom, were just enough thanks to a seven-inning, five strikeout outing by Moore, who allowed just one earned run off six hits.

“To start off the tournament we drew Springville, the top ranked team in 5A for a majority of the season, and the kids came out pumped up,” Russellville head coach Rick Lawson said. “Jacey controlled that game from the very start inside the circle, and the defense played well behind her to keep Springville off the bases.”

Advancing to the second round of the tournament, the Lady Golden Tigers were pitted against Jasper, who never lost in the regional. Russellville and Jasper engaged in a tough pitching duel with Moore back in the circle for the Lady Golden Tigers and Missy Odom pitching for the Vikings.

“Jasper pitched Missy Odom and she just did phenomenal. She did a great job and we never could get anything going against her,” Lawson said. “We had a couple of opportunities in the game to take a lead, but we just couldn’t get that hit we needed to get that run across.”

Odom, who allowed just one hit in seven innings, finished with 16 strikeouts and gave up one unearned run. Moore, though on the losing end of the battle, had 10 strikeouts to her credit. Russellville’s one run in the 3-1 defeat was scored in the bottom of the first by Paislee James, who stole home.

Russellville, one loss away from elimination now, returned the next day and played Brewer for the right to stay alive in the tournament. The Lady Golden Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, adding another run in the second and three more insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth to win 6-0. Moore, once again, was locked in in the circle, tossing five shutout innings and striking out 11 in the process until she was relieved by James, who finished out the game. The Lady Golden Tigers’ offense was led by shortstop Bryleigh Butler, who ended the game with three RBI and a run scored.

“Jacey was, again, lights out and our girls did a really good job of hitting the ball against a good Brewer team,” Lawson said.

Later that day, as luck would have it, Russellville would have to beat Springville for a second time in order to advance. This time around Springville would get the better of the Lady Golden Tigers. The Tigers jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first and then added two in the third and two in the fourth to make it 6-0. Springville shortened the game by tacking on five more runs in the top of the sixth to make it 11-1 and run-ruled Russellville. Springville, who had 12 hits in the game, were aided by three errors by the Lady Golden Tigers, who managed five hits on the day.

“That time around we made a few errors and didn’t do a good job of keeping them off the base paths,” Lawson said. “That’s the strength of Springville, that if they get kids on the bases they run very, very efficiently, and they put a lot of pressure on you. We just couldn’t stop them.”

“Against teams like that, there’s not a whole lot of room for error,” he added.

The loss ended the season for the Lady Golden Tigers, who finished out 2024 with a 26-23-1 record and multiple weeks in the Alabama Sports Writers Association top 10 poll. A glance at Russellville’s record may not impress some, but a closer look at the teams the Lady Golden Tigers faced this season and the picture becomes clear. Russellville, a young team with just three seniors, took on some of the best competition in the state this season and was up to the challenge.

“When you go back and look at our season this year, we played some really, really good teams,” Lawson said. “We played Orange Beach twice and they ended up winning the 4A state championship, which I don’t think surprised anybody. We played Hillcrest, Pell City, Athens, who ended up a state champion. We played Huntsville and we traveled to Mississippi and played Kossuth, who ended up winning a 5A state championship over there, as well. So if you look at the teams we’ve played, these girls were really challenged a lot this year and came out with a winning record overall.”

Looking to the future, Lawson said the experience of playing in games against quality competition will help the Lady Golden Tigers in the years to come.

“There’s no doubt we’ll miss our three seniors, but the great thing about this bunch is that five of our nine starters were eighth or ninth graders, and then the oldest one beyond that returning is Brooklyn Butler, who’s a tenth grader,” Lawson said. “These girls now have a lot of experience playing against high-caliber teams, and to watch their maturity as the season has gone on gives me high hopes for the future. That young group of girls are going to end up a group of really good ballplayers, so we’re excited about the future.”

Russellville can look forward to a lot of experience coming back next spring, but Lawson said the few seniors departing are leaving a huge hole for the team to fill, especially in the circle.

“Paislee James, Jacey Moore, and Emma Campbell, there’s no doubt we’re going to miss them. That hits us right up our middle. That’s our catcher, pitcher, and center fielder, and they’re going to be tough to replace,” Lawson said. “That battery there between pitcher and catcher, it’s tough to replace, and it’s all going to be about who steps up.”

“Pitching is always a concern for everybody, and I think we’ve got some young pitchers coming up that it’ll be interesting to see how they mature because it all starts inside that circle. If you don’t have someone inside the circle that can throw strikes, it makes it very tough,” Lawson added. “Jacey had 32 starts and made 35 appearances and had 260 strikeouts—260 strikeouts is not something you can replace overnight…and replacing players like Jacey and Paislee and Emma is not something you can do every day.”

Lawson said if his Lady Golden Tigers can address those open positions and build on the progress made this season, there’s no limit to how good the program can be going forward.

“As young as we were this year, we had some growing pains. Defensively I thought we played some great softball this year, and offensively I think you’d like to see us be a little bit more consistent,” Lawson said. “But I am excited about what we’ve got and the players we have. The question is will they step up, but if they do then the future is very bright, and I’m excited to see what these girls can do in the future.”