No.2 Alexandria comes out swinging, wins a Calhoun County softball championship in new gray jerseys.
By Joe Medley
Alexandria earns long-awaited new uniforms by reaching Calhoun County softball finals without a loss. Oxford, White Plains to play for spot in finals.
Calhoun County softball tournament
MONDAY, April 6
At Calhoun County Sports Complex
No. 7 Piedmont 12, No. 10 Wellborn 2
No. 6 Jacksonville 14, No. 11 Anniston 4
No. 4 Ohatchee 18, No. 13 Faith Christian 1
No. 5 Pleasant Valley 8, No. 12 Saks 1
No. 9 Jacksonville Christian 6, No. 8 Weaver 0
No. 2 Alexandria 14, Piedmont 1
No. 3 White Plains vs. Jacksonville, 6:30 p.m.
Ohatchee 3, Pleasant Valley 0
No. 1 Oxford vs. Jacksonville Christian, 6:30 p.m.
Losers’ bracket
Saks 13, Faith Christian 0
TUESDAY, April 7
At Calhoun County Sports Complex
Losers’ bracket
Piedmont 11, Saks 3
Weaver 13, Jacksonville 6
Pleasant Valley 15, Wellborn 0
Jacksonville Christian 5, Anniston 2
Losers’ bracket
Piedmont 5, Weaver 4
Pleasant Valley 8, Jacksonville Christian 0
Winners’ bracket
Alexandria 3, White Plains 0
Oxford 3, Ohatchee 2
THURSDAY, April 9
At Calhoun County Sports Complex
Winners’ bracket final
Alexandria 7, Oxford 2
Losers’ bracket
Ohatchee 9, Piedmont 7
White Plains 7, Pleasant Valley 3
Losers’ bracket final
White Plains 3, Ohatchee 1
FRIDAY, April 10
At Jacksonville State
Elimination game
White Plains vs. Oxford, 5 p.m.
Finals
Alexandria vs. TBD, 6:30 p.m.
If necessary, 8 p.m.
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
Charlee Parris affects plenty for Alexandria’s softball team with her bat and did Thursday with a two-run home run in the Valley Cubs’ 7-2 victory over top seed Oxford in the Calhoun County Tournament at Calhoun County Sports Complex.
She also had a hand in Valley Cub fashion design, and that will show up when they play in the finals at Jacksonville State.
By reaching the county finals undefeated, No. 2 seed Alexandria (22-8) will cash in on head coach Brian Hess’ promise to bust out long-awaited new uniforms Parris designed.
“I’m very happy,” Parris said.
Hess gives his team the reward of new uniforms for making the state, which they often do. They did last year, and Parris, a senior, was appointed designer.
She says she’s not a Tennessee fan but drew inspiration from the Vols’ charcoal-gray uniforms.
“Tennessee’s smokeout gray uniform, I based it off of those,” she said. “I just love those uniforms.”
Instead of Tennessee orange, Alexandria’s new threads will feature Alexandria’s darker shade of orange.
The Valley Cubs typically get their new uniforms earlier in the season, but shipment from overseas hit a snag.
“They were hung up in customs because they come from overseas because of the war (with Iran),” Hess said, “We just got them the other day.
“So we’re kind of just sitting there, and I said, ‘I’ll tell you what. Here’s my deal. If you all will go through and get to Championship Friday night without being in the losers’ bracket, we’ll bust those things out.”
The reveal comes at 6:30 p.m., when Alexandria plays the losers’ bracket survivor in the finals.
Parris and Baylee Elston homered against Oxford (14-8) on Thursday. Elston also doubled while going 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI.
Jacee Brooks went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.
Reece Carr got the win, allowing five hits, two walks and one earned run with three strikeouts in five innings.
Oxford’s Madison Murphy had a single and two RBIs. Jayla Jackson and Emma Tims-Becerra each hit a double.
Elimination bracket
WHITE PLAINS 7, PLEASANT VALLEY 3: Karli Otwell went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs, and the Wildcats advanced to play Ohatchee in the game to determine which team plays Oxford on Friday.
Carli Fritts went 1-for-2 with two RBIs and pitched two perfect innings of relief with three strikeouts. Kinsleigh Gross got the win, allowing six hits and three earned runs with no walks or strikeouts in three innings.
Sara Kate Adams went 2-for-4 with two runs, and Carleigh-Anne Green went 2-for-4 with a run. Piper Thompson was 2-for-2 with a run.
Pleasant Valley’s Alexa Cranmer went 2-for-3 with a run. Hanna Henry and Elise Wheeler each had a single and an RBI.
OHATCHEE 9, PIEDMONT 7: Gracie Reed went 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs, and the Indians fought off Piedmont’s six-run fourth inning to play White Plains for the right to take on Oxford on Friday.
Alanah Fitch went 2-for-2 with a double and two runs, and Makayla Brackett had a single, two RBIs and a run.
Madison Mize had a single, a run and an RBI.
Piedmont’s Amarae Champion went 1-for-3 with three RBIs, and Cadence Buttram had two RBIs and a run. Anna Hase went 2-for-3, and Ellie Tolbert went 2-for-2 with a run.
WHITE PLAINS 3, OHATCHEE 1: Carli Fritts struck out 11 batters while pitching a four-hitter, and No. 3 seed White Plains (21-14) advanced to the tournament’s final day.
The Wildcats will play top seed Oxford in Friday’s final lamination game.
Fritts also had a double and a run, and Carligh-Anne Green went 2-for-3 with a double. Rylee Smith tripled with two RBIs.
“I’m just proud of them, proud of the execution, which is something we’ve struggled with lately,” White Plains coach Anna Burgess said. “They fought today, and they played gritty and played together.
“It’s always the goal to play on the final day, so I’m proud of them.”
Ohatchee’s Reese Steward went 2-for-3, and Mollee Barnes had a triple and an RBI. The Indians are 20-8.
JACKSONVILLE — Charlee Parris’ two-run home highlighted Alexandria’s six-run second inning, and the No. 2 seeded Valley Cubs beat top seed Oxford 11-8 in Friday’s Calhoun County softball finals.
Alexandria (23-8) won its third county title in a row, 14th in 25 years and seventh in nine years. That span includes 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic nixed the county tournament.
Oxford (15-9), which beat Alexandria 8-7 on March 2, carried the tournament’s top seed but lost both tourney games against the Valley Cubs, including a 7-2 loss in Thursday’s winners’ bracket final.
Alexandria wore new smokeout gray jerseys Friday as a reward for reaching the finals through the winners bracket. They wore white pants because gray baseball pants came with the jerseys.
Gray softball pants are expected to arrive next week.
Parris, a senior Gadsden State Community College signee, designed the new uniforms, which were supposed to be a reward for making last year’s state tournament. The uniforms arrived earlier this week, after a time held up in customs, Alexandria coach Brian Hess said.
