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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

NORTHPORT – After a dominant 9-2 showing on Tuesday, April 1 at Thompson High School, the Thompson Warriors found themselves in much more adversity on Thursday, April 3 as they fell behind 2-0 in the bottom of the second.

However, a three-run fifth inning helped the Warriors take the lead for good as they secured a 3-2 victory at Tuscaloosa County High School to sweep the regular-season series between the two Class 7A, Area 5 foes.

After each team got a runner aboard in the first inning, they each got a lead-off single in the second inning. The only difference was while Thompson went down in order after that, the Wildcats got the benefit of a sacrifice bunt followed by a wild pitch.

With the runner now at third, Tuscaloosa County popped one to second to secure an RBI single and take a 1-0 lead. The Wildcats doubled up the lead shortly after when a wild pitch and a passed ball scored another runner for the 2-0 advantage.

Thompson came up empty in the next two innings with just one base runner in the third and fourth combined. However, the tide started to shift in the top of the fifth when Morgan Adolphus and Mallory Flournoy started the inning with back-to-back singles.

That led the Warriors to send Blakely Davis to the plate to pinch hit for Josie Hamm. Davis delivered in the big spot, ripping an RBI triple to tie the game up at 2-2 on just one swing.

Hamm came back in for Davis as the pinch runner, and she crossed home plate for the go-ahead run when Kelsey Burden sent a sacrifice fly to right to give the sophomore enough room to come home for the 3-2 lead.

Aubree Hooks had a dominant three innings of relief in the third, fourth and fifth innings, shutting out the Wildcats while allowing just three walks and one hit to secure the victory. Autumn Ingle then returned to the game for the sixth and seventh innings and surrendered just one hit the rest of the way to finish off her four-inning day.

Thompson improved to 25-2 overall and 2-0 in area play with the win and extended its win streak to eight games in a row. The Warriors will resume area play on the road on Tuesday, April 8 at 6 p.m. against the Prattville Lions before returning home on Thursday, April 10 at 4:30 p.m. for the back part of the series.