Glenwood softball team advances to state semis with two wins

MONTGOMERY, Al. – Glenwood assistant coach Debbie Ball said it best—“This is more like weather in October when Georgia has their state softball championships, not here in Alabama in May!”

Despite temperature in the 50s, the Lady Gators came through with two straight wins and advanced to the semifinals of the AISA class AAA state championships.

“What you want is to win and advance and stay out of the loser’s bracket,” said Glenwood head coach Dusty Perdue. “We won despite not playing our best (in the first game) and getting a lights-out performance with McKenna (Gillespie) in the second game.

In the first contest, Glenwood scored four in the first for 5-2 victory over Hooper Academy.

“We simply did not play well and did not hit the ball well and were not patient at the plate,” Perdue said. “But “G” (Ashley Gallant) did a good job on the mound for us, and with the exception of a couple of pitches, could have pitched a shutout.”

In the first inning, Glenwood’s first four batters reached base and led 2-0 before an out was recorded. The Lady Gators fifth run came on a Morgan Grant RBI double in the sixth.

Hooper’s Chloe Seithalil hit a two-run home run in the third, but the Lady Colts managed just three base runners in the other six innings.

The second game was a familiar opponent for Glenwood, Lee Scott, who won its first-round game. Gillespie held them to one hit in a 10-0, five inning mercy-rule victory, striking out five and walking two.

“We played much better this game and came out ready to play and be more patient at the plate,” Perdue said. “Kirsten (Reynolds) hit a two run shot in the third and then Hope (Gullatt) followed with a back-to-back homer, and you could see we had the momentum the rest of the way.

“I really don’t point out what a great job Kirsten also does behind the plate. She and McKenna were both on the same page today, and she deserves credit for what a great job she does with our pitchers,” Perdue also said.

Reynolds was 2-for-2 with three RBIs, and Gillespie had three hits and an RBI as well. Gillespie scored the game-ending 10th run in the fifth on Carlena Hampton’s single.

This story was originally published May 6, 2017 at 4:19 PM with the headline "Glenwood softball team advances to state semis with two wins."