MOBILE — The No. 1 softball team in the country likes to bowl in their spare time, and they win there too.

A handful of members from the four-time defending state champion Orange Beach softball squad spent their winter in the bowling alleys and earned a Red Map trophy as Class 1A-5A state runners-up Tuesday from the AHSAA state championships in Mobile.

Senior Daigle Wilson, juniors Teagan Revette, Katie King, Linley Bennett and Adelynn Oldham as well as freshmen Miley Kate McMullan and Annastyn Moye can now officially add to an already-crowded trophy case, although it was not a foregone conclusion. With their backs against the wall in the consolation bracket of the double-elimination tournament, the Makos rattled off three wins in a row to battle for a state title.

Orange Beach, head coached by Phill Clemons, beat Sipsey Valley 1155-1051 in the second consolation round on Monday and advanced to Tuesday’s second day of competition. There, the Makos started with a 1228-1128 win over Indian Springs before they avenged a second-round loss to Horseshoe Bend with a rally in the final frames.

The Generals extended to a 446-407 lead entering the eighth frame only to have its lead diminished to 10 pins entering the 10th and final frame of the traditional round. Orange Beach flipped the script in the final stanza and earned a 21-pin victory going into the Baker games. The Makos punched their ticket to the finals by winning all three games with a 538-432 total advantage to help secure a 1200-1091 semifinal victory.

Since Scottsboro entered the championship without a loss in the double elimination bracket, Orange Beach would have had to beat the Wildcats twice to claim the title. Instead, Scottsboro collected its first-ever girls’ bowling state championship with a 1342-1148 win to finish its season 16-1 overall.

The Makos returned home with a Clear Red Map trophy as state runners-up with a 17-4 overall record.

Oldham represented Orange Beach with the third-best traditional game with a score of 198. She added a game of 190 to rank sixth overall with Bennett not far behind in ninth (179) and 11th (173). Wilson (171 for 16th) and McMullan (168 for 20th) also logged top-20 individual games.

Elberta finds end of road in final four

The Elberta Warrior boys’ team came two wins away from battling for a Class 1A-5A state championship.

Seniors Harris Dunlavy, Jon Devery Thomas and Copeland Bryant, juniors Tristan Ridenour and Chris Jones as well as sophomores Grant Luebker and Jackson Starr helped the team make its fifth trip to the final tournament of the season in its sixth year as a program.

Elberta, head coached by Danielle Dunlavy, started with a 1491-1472 win over John Carroll before a 1379-1360 loss to Corner led to the consolation bracket. However, the Warriors staved off elimination with a 1377-1351 win over Scottsboro to advance to Tuesday’s second day of competition.

A matchup with region rival UMS-Wright opened the day of action in the consolation semifinals but Elberta fell by a 1464-1421 margin to find the end of the road with an 18-4 overall record. Bryant represented the Warriors with the ninth-best individual traditional game with a score of 230. Jones joined him in the top 20 with a score of 206 to rank 20th.

Foley falls in final tournament

The Foley Lions dropped their first two games in the Class 6A-7A bracket and closed their season 13-7 overall.

Seniors Jocelyn Goff and Savanna Pullman, juniors Maggie Smith and Emmarie Avery as well as sophomore Kindle Potter helped Foley secure an 11-3 record in area play before they earned the No. 4 seed from regionals.

The Lions, head coached by Barry Guy, lost their opener against Southside 1264-999 and then dropped a 1152-1031 decision against James Clemens to find the end of the road. Avery represented Foley with the 32nd-best individual game in the 6A-7A division with 168.