Alcovy moved on to the second round of the state softball playoffs for the first time in school history Wednesday, and did so in dominating fashion.

The Tigers made their fans wait just one inning before showing them what a No. 1 seed can do against a No. 4 seed in sweeping the best-of-three series with an 18-2 win followed by a 21-1 shellacking.

Both games took a total of seven innings, as Alcovy won by the 15-run three-inning rule in the opener and the 12-run four-inning rule in the nightcap.

Alcovy had a combined 26 hits in both games, while holding Westlake to four hits. The Tigers will host the winner of Lowndes and Hillgrove Wednesday.

Before the Tigers moved on to the second round, they had some nerves in the opening round, if only for an inning.
The first inning went smoothly for both teams, with the exception of an error on a throw to first by Alcovy, allowing Westlake to get a runner on base. However, other than that the first inning was uneventful with Alcovy pitcher Chelsea Murphy striking out two and the Tigers failing to get a runner on first.

The second inning was a different story as the Tigers' bats exploded. Alcovy tallied seven hits, scoring 11 runs and putting the game out of reach.

"I think once they started being patient things got going," Alcovy coach Monica Marks said. "I think they were just excited about it. But once they started being patient the hits came."

The Tigers loaded the bases with the first three batters of the frame, before Waneshia Morris brought home Aubree Thacker, courtesy running for Morgan Beshears, and Raven Smith with a single. Chelsie Nolley followed with a single to reload the bases, setting up the Tigers' ninth batter Marie Peck.

Peck delivered with a triple over the centerfielders head to score Morgan Mobley, Morris and Nolley.

Johnson then scored on a sacrifice by Kia Sorrells, who made the first out of the inning. With one out and the bases loaded once again with Brandi Weathersby, running for Chelsea Murphy, Smith and Beshears, Mobley hit into a sacrifice and Morris drove in Thacker on a single to right field.

Peck hit her fourth and fifth RBIs of the inning on a double to right field, bringing home Smith and Morris for the second run for both players of the frame.

"We're getting production from the whole lineup," Marks said. "It's not just top of lineup it's the whole lineup."

After a three strikeout second inning, Westlake got on the board in the top of the third on an RBI single by Ammber Johnson and an error by Alcovy's third baseman.

That wouldn't slow down the Tigers, who finished the game with the run-rule on seven-run, four-hit bottom of the third.

Sorrells started things off with a single, stole second and then third after an error on the same play. She then scored on a passed ball. Murphy, Thacker, Smith, Mobley and Morris would all score in the inning that saw Sorrells end the game on a triple.

Peck had two hits and five RBI, Johnson two hits and two RBI, Beshears had three singles and Morris had two hits and three RBI.

In the second game Alcovy didn't wait until the second inning to start dominating, but got things going with the first batter.

Johnson led the game off with a double, followed by a single from Sorrells to start off an eight-run, five-hit first inning. Murphy then drove in Johnson and Sorrells and Murphy scored on a double by Beshears.

Amber Thacker (pinch running for Beshear) scored on a pass ball, and Alcovy loaded the bases again. Smith would score before there was an out in the inning.

Peck, for the fourth time in the day, came up to bat with runners on and drove Smith and Mobley home. Murphy's fielder's choice scored Beshears to end the Tigers' scoring.

Westlake anwered with a run in the bottom of the first, but it would be all it would get for the rest of th series.

In the top of the second Alcovy scored three runs on three hits with Weathersby driving in two runs on an error to second base. She drove in another run, on a sacrifice to the shortstop in the third inning, scoring Thacker.

Leading 12-1 after three innings, Alcovy ended the first-round series with the run-rule and more.

Kia Sorrells led things off with a walkand came home on a double by Murphy. Beshears followed her lead with an RBI double of her own. Mobley's fielder's choice and error to third base scored Thacker. Marie Peck, who was intentionally walked to load the bases an inning earlier, hit a triple to score Morris and Weathersby. As Alcovy hit around the order, Sorrells hit an inside the park home run to score Johnson, and Murphy followed up with an error to the shortstop. She finished the scoring on a double to the outfield by Beshears. Thacker ended the inning by starting off second base early.

In the second game Johnson had two hits and three runs, Sorrells three hits, including a home run, and three runs. Murphy had three runs and three RBI, Beshears three doubles and four RBI and Peck had four RBI three hits.