By BAKER ELLIS / Sports Editor

OXFORD – The Chelsea Lady Hornets have competed in just a three-team area in softball this season, which are generally not as tough to get through as the four- or five-team areas. However, 6A Area 10 has been solid from top to bottom this year, with Chelsea, Pell City and Oxford all spending time at or near the top of the 6A rankings. The 6A Area 10 tournament took place at Oxford from May 3-5, and after beating Pell City twice and losing to Oxford twice in the tournament, Chelsea nabbed the second seed out of the area and is headed to the North-Central Regional in Tuscaloosa.

 

 

Game 1. Chelsea 5 – Pell City 1

Two runs in the bottom of the first inning courtesy of McKenzie Bryant and Allie Miller gave Chelsea an early 2-0 lead it did not relinquish. After building a 5-0 lead heading into the sixth inning, the Lady Hornets got off to a great start in the area tournament with a huge 5-1 win over Pell City. Sarah Cespedes pitched a complete, seven-inning game, throwing 129 pitches while giving up four hits and one earned run while striking out eight batters in the win.

 

Game 2. Oxford 1 – Chelsea 0

After 8.2 scoreless innings of softball, Sarah Howell scored for the Lady Yellow Jackets from Oxford with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to give Oxford an extra-inning, tense win. Chelsea only mustered four hits in the game, with Bryant, Miller, Cespedes and Tristan Ziannis each connecting once from the plate. Cespedes once again pitched a gem for Chelsea, throwing her second complete game in a row. She threw 126 pitches over 8.2 innings of work, giving up just three hits and one run while striking out 11.

 

Game 3. Chelsea 7 – Pell City 3

The third game was the most important of the tournament for Chelsea, as a win punched the Lady Hornets’ ticket to the regional tournament and a loss meant the end of the line. After Pell City took a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, Chelsea quickly settled down, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first and bottom of the second inning to take a 4-3 lead. After Pell City scored three runs in the first inning, it did not advance a runner past second base the rest of the way, as Cespedes settled down from the mound and only allowed two hits the rest of the way. Mallory Heisler and Mallory Bradford each had two hits on the day with an RBI apiece to lead the Lady Hornets from the plate.

 

Game 4. Oxford 11 – Chelsea 0

After sewing up a regional bid, Chelsea had to beat area host Oxford twice in a row to claim the area championship. However, Cespedes pitched just two innings in the final game, throwing just 20 pitches and giving up a home run in the second inning, before she was relieved, which was when the Oxford bats went off. The Lady Yellow Jackets scored 10 runs over the next four innings to win 11-0 and claim the 6A Area 10 tournament title.

 

Chelsea will now turn its attention to the North-Central Regional, where the Lady Hornets will play the winner of the 6A Area 11 tournament on May 12.