[GOREDDEVILS]

Russell Flatwoods 5 North Laurel 4

[DevilsWin]

WTG DEVILS!!!!!!:devilflam :devilflam :devilflam

[DEVILOLOGIST]

Close game and errors almost lost it for them, The team is tough and held on to make it memorable. The celebration was well deserved and earned. One of the best games I have seen in some time.

[Ring'Em Up]

Congratulations girls. I recall Russell-Flatwoods also winning 9/10 state about 4 yrs ago when it was held at Paintsville.

[GOREDDEVILS]

The crowning achievement
Slideshow: Russell-Flatwoods wins state tournament
[URL="http://static.cnhi.zope.net/flashpromo/dailyindependent/flashpromo/slideshow/softball3_show/"][B] By AARON SNYDER
The Independent
[/B][/URL][B]FLATWOODS[/B][B] —[/B] [URL="http://static.cnhi.zope.net/flashpromo/dailyindependent/flashpromo/slideshow/softball3_show/"][B] Missouri, here they come.

Russell-Flatwoods 11- and 12-year-old softball All-Stars outlasted Laurel County, 5-4, in the 2008 Kentucky Little League Softball Championship on Wednesday night at Russell-Flatwoods Complex.

The unbeaten squad will now make their way to Joplin, Mo., for the regional tournament.

“That’s the kind of game that we needed to prepare us,” said Russell-Flatwoods coach Mark Sparks.

Although Laurel County was knocking on the door louder and louder, Sparks stuck with Mallory Powell on the mound for the entire game.

Trailing 5-1 in the bottom of the fifth, Laurel County’s Meagan Bryant tripled to deep center field to start off the inning. She scored on the next play, a ground out to the pitcher, Powell.

Two straight singles followed by an RBI ground out from Hagan Burns made it a 5-3 game.

Powell induced a ground out to get out of the inning, and then had to do the job again in the last half of the sixth.

Laurel County second baseman Jenna Carney reached base to lead off the sixth on a ground ball that took a tricky hop in which Hannah Carter could not field cleanly.

Carney scored after a sacrifice bunt and two errors, but Powell locked in to retire the last two batters to clinch the victory.

With runners on second and third and two outs, Katelyn Elkins grounded out to Savannah Peterman, Russell’s second baseman, for the last out of the game. Peterman made up for two earlier errors with the game-saving defensive play.

Sparks was determined to keep the ball in Powell’s right hand.

“I stuck with Mal-Pow,” Sparks said. “She’s just a good athlete with good composure and she seems to throw better as she goes. She really stuck it out for us.”

Russell took advantage of some early Laurel County mishaps, which proved to be huge.

The first three Russell runs were scored on wild pitches.

Madison Sparks led off the game with a single to right field and then advanced each base on three wild pitches.

Following a walk, Sydney Whitt also crossed the plate in the first inning.

Russell scored twice more in the third inning as Arden Gross scored on a wild pitch and Powell scored on an RBI groundout by Peterman, giving Russell an early 4-0 lead.

Gross scored again in the fifth inning when she struck a fly ball into right field in which Kayla Huff could not handle. An additional throwing error on the play allowed Gross to touch them all and give her team a four-run lead.

Sparks was pleased to get past such a solid team in the title game, after his team had completely dominated the rest of the field. Russell had outscored state tournament opponents 34-3 before the contest against Laurel County.

“This is what it takes, to play these better teams as we accelerate on to the region,” Sparks said. “They are a great-coached team. It was the best pitching we saw in the tournament.”

Despite the loss, Laurel County pitcher Katelyn Elkins had eight strikeouts and gave up only five hits.

Russell-Flatwoods has grown accustomed to success in the state tournament. The same group of kids were crowned state champions two years ago as 9- and 10-year-olds.

“These girls pretty much sacrificed their whole summer and put in a lot of hard work,” Sparks said. “I have two great assistant coaches in Barry Powell and Matt Peterman. The relationship that the kids have with one another and what we have with them is outstanding.”

The Lady Devils will make the trek to Missouri and begin regional play on July 26.[/B][/URL][URL="http://static.cnhi.zope.net/flashpromo/dailyindependent/flashpromo/slideshow/softball3_show/"][B]
[/B][/URL]

[DEVILOLOGIST]

Congratulations girls. I recall Russell-Flatwoods also winning 9/10 state about 4 yrs ago when it was held at Paintsville.

This team won it 2 years ago as 9-10's, almost made it last year as 11's and held on this year to bring it back again.