Despite two steps up in classification, the Orange Beach Makos collected their third straight AHSAA softball state championship Saturday, May 20, with a 5-0 win over Houston Academy in the Class 4A …
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Despite two steps up in classification, the Orange Beach Makos collected their third straight AHSAA softball state championship Saturday, May 20, with a 5-0 win over Houston Academy in the Class 4A finals at Jacksonville State.
KG Favors, the second-ranked sophomore in her class, represented Orange Beach as state tournament MVP after she collected 5 hits, 1 run and 7 RBIs offensively to go along with 15 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched over four games. The Makos finished the 2023 season with a 46-10-1 overall record.
Orange Beach won back-to-back titles on the Class 2A stage before being reclassified to Class 4A due to enrollment. The Makos started their run at the title with a regular-season area championship before a runner-up finish at regionals.
To open the state tournament Friday, Orange Beach secured two run-rule wins then a 10-8 victory over the Raiders from Houston Academy. Needing to be beaten twice in the double-elimination bracket Saturday, the Makos never trailed with the Blue Map trophy on the line in their first year of competition on the Class 4A circuit.
Orange Beach scored in each of its first four innings after Daigle Wilson got the Makos on the board in the first with a single and was hit in by Teagan Revette. Orange Beach added another two runs in the second when Falyn Beebe and Adelynn Oldham delivered consecutive triples to help LC Robbins and Beebe hit home.
Robbins, an eighth grader, got in on the action in the third inning when she lifted a solo home run before Wilson’s speed came through once again. She walked then stole second and third before tagging up to score on a pop-out from Revette in the fourth inning.
Favors did the rest in the pitcher’s circle where she allowed only one hit and two walks over seven innings pitched to go along with four strikeouts.
Offensively in the four state tournament games, Revette led the way with 8 hits, 9 runs and 8 RBI and was followed closely by Beebe (7 hits, 6 runs, 5 RBIs) and Robbins (7 hits, 6 runs, 3 RBIs). Kaitlynn Robertson collected 6 hits, 2 runs and 6 RBIs and both Ava Hodo (1 run, 4 RBIs) and Favors (1 run, 7 RBIs) recorded 5 hits.
Wilson collected the most runs scored with 7 to go along with 3 hits and 2 RBIs, Adelyn Oldham registered 4 hits, 2 runs and 3 RBIs and Justine Henderson finished with 2 hits, 3 runs and 1 RBI. The Makos' starting lineup teamed up to collect 47 hits, 37 runs scored and 39 RBIs.
In the pitcher’s circle, Robertson started Game 1 and came on in relief in Game 2 to finish with 5 hits allowed and 5 strikeouts over 4 innings pitched. In three starts, Favors racked up 15 strikeouts over 17 innings pitched where she scattered 15 hits and 8 walks and allowed 9 runs where only 4 were earned runs.