Central knocks off Prattville to earn berth in state softball tournament

Central jumped on Prattville early and rolled to an 11-1 victory in the AHSAA Class 7A South Central Regional on Saturday.

The win earned the Lady Red Devils a berth in the state tournament at Lagoon Park in Montgomery. They will open against James Clemons, which won the North Regional at 1 p.m. Friday.

Central needed to win after losing to Auburn 4-3 late Friday night in the second round of the regional.

Sara Castillo went 2-for-3 with a triple and four RBIs. Katie Webb had three hits, including two doubles, and drove in two runs.

Allison Shiver had a hit and three RBIs. Jadia Jones had three hits and scored three runs. Allie Farrow had a hit and drove in a run.

Central (30-17) scored four times in the bottom of the first inning. Jones singled and moved to third when Farrow’s bunt was misplayed. She scored on Webb’s single. Farrow and Webb scored on another Prattville error for a 3-0 lead.

Castillo later drove in Shiver on a sacrifice bunt.

The Lady Red Devils added two more in the second and finished the game with five runs in the sixth.

The final play of the game was a Castillo triple, which drove in three runs, giving Central a 10-run lead, ending the game with the mercy rule.

Gracie Deaton earned the win. She allowed one run on five hits and three walks in six innings. She struck out seven.

This story was originally published May 14, 2016 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Central knocks off Prattville to earn berth in state softball tournament."