Prep Sports

ALEXANDRIA — It was probably the only way they would have ever cooled off Saturday afternoon.

After defeating Hamilton 6-3 in Game 2 of in the second round of sub-state play in the state softball playoffs, The Valley Cubs dove on the dirt in front of third base and piled on top of one another in celebration.

That's when assistant coach Toni Hess got in on the fun. Following the obligatory post-game photo shoot — and as the team was still frolicking around on the ground — Hess ran into the dugout and picked up a water cooler. She caught the players completely off-guard and dowsed them with its contents — cold water and ice, creating a muddy mosh.

It was a fitting end to what had been a furious finish from the four-time defending Calhoun County champions.

The third-ranked Valley Cubs held off a surge from the unranked Aggies in Game 1, winning 4-3 on strength of RBIs from Issa Brown, Hali Presley, Halee Henry and Morgan Reed. They also got seven innings of solid work form standout pitcher Jordan Brown to get the win.

The Valley Cubs fell behind 3-0 after the bottom of the second in Game 2, but clawed back, shutting Hamilton out the rest of the way and putting up six unanswered runs on 11 hits. The sweep advances Alexandria (40-13) to next week's state tournament, which begins Tuesday and runs through Saturday at Lagoon Park in Montgomery. Alexandria will face Alabama Christian at 10:30 a.m. on Friday.

"We haven't had to do it like that in a long time," said Alexandria coach Brian Hess of his team's comeback. "But if we're going to do it we might as well do it in Game 2 of the second round of sub-states to go to the state tournament."

The Aggies got ahead, scoring all three of their runs on passed balls in the first and second innings to build their early lead.

Jordan Brown nearly erased Alexandria's deficit with one swing of the bat, hitting a bases loaded double that could have been a grand slam had it not been for a pesky right field fence. The two-RBI double put the Valley Cubs within one at 3-2 going into the bottom of fourth.

Chelsea Randle doubled to left, scoring Presley to even the score in the top of the fifth.

The 3-3 tie was all the indication Hess needed to go for jugular, as he brought Brown on in relief in the bottom of the fifth. She retired all nine batters she faced in the last three innings, four by strikeout.

"She's one of the types that gets stronger as she goes on," said Hess.

Presley's liner to third on 2-2 pitch with two outs in the top of the sixth brought in the go-ahead run and put Alexandria up 4-3. Erin Patterson and Sarah Borders knocked in insurance runs in the top of the seventh to seal the deal.

"I was just saying, 'God please let me hit the ball,'" Pressley said. "I prayed to God and told Him that I wanted to go to the state tournament."

Hannah Real took both losses for the Aggies.