By BY BRUCE HIXON – sports editor
Last season the Jefferson Davis Community College Lady Warhawks softball team had its season come to an end on L.B. Wallace's field. A year later the Lady Warhawks returned the favor.
JDCC ousted the Lady Saints from playoff contention and at the same time wrapped up its own postseason berth for the first time since 2004 with its 8-3 win in Monday's first game of a doubleheader.
The Lady Warhawks (9-15 in the Alabama Community College Conference and 17-41 overall) entered the twinbill a game ahead of L.B. Wallace prior to the final regular season date for both teams and needed just a split to clinch the south division's fifth and final playoff spot.
The Lady Warhawks already had a 1-0 lead when they all but put the game away with a seven-run rally in the third inning on the strength of a two-run double by Amberly Whitworth and an RBI single by Chasity Nicholson.
Kayla Galloway and Tanna Fontes both had a pair of hits to lead the Lady Warhawks.
Whitworth scattered seven hits and struck out seven in a complete game victory.
L.B. Wallace rallied for a 7-5 win in game two, as Nims rested most of her everyday starters.
JDCC took a 2-1 lead into the top of the sixth before the Lady Saints strung together a decisive six-run rally.
Fontes, Jodi Lisenby and Kim Carter, who took the loss, all had two hits to lead the Lady Warhawks.
JDCC put itself in position to clinch when it swept its second doubleheader of the season from host Alabama Southern Saturday with a 2-0 win in game one and an 8-7 triumph in game two.
Whitworth threw a three-hit shutout and struck out three in the opener.
Jodi Lisenby, who had a team-high three hits, drove in both runs with an RBI double in the third inning and an RBI single in the fifth.
Alabama Southern owned a 6-3 lead headed into the top of the sixth inning of game two before the Lady Warhawks put together a decisive five-run rally. The key blows were back-to-back doubles by Jayla Davis and Emily Davenport and an RBI single by Whitworth.
Galloway, Davis, Davenport and Whitworth, who picked up her second win of the day, all had two hits to pace the Lady Warhawks.
JDCC begins state tournament play Saturday at Alabaster where it will face Calhoun at 10 a.m.
Saturday's game one
JDCC 001 010 0 – 2 8 0
Alabama So. 000 000 0 – 0 3 0
Game two
JDCC 010 025 0 – 8 11 3
Alabama So. 030 031 0 – 7 14 2
Monday's game one
L.B. Wallace 000 201 0 – 3 7 1
JDCC 107 000 X – 8 9 1
Game two
L.B. Wallace 010 006 0 – 7 12 2
JDCC 000 203 0 – 5 9 0