UAB commit Alyssa Faircloth pitches Holy Spirit softball to first AHSAA championship game

OXFORD – Allowing one run is a game typically results in a win. Allowing just one run over three games sent Holy Spirit Catholic softball to the AHSAA Class 1A state championship game.

UAB commitment Alyssa Faircloth, a junior, pitched all but one inning during Holy Spirit's Friday wins and didn't allow an earned run.

Holy Spirit clinched its championship spot with a 6-0 win against Brantley when Faircloth struck out 11.

Holy Spirit beat Sweet Water 7-1 to start the tournament and then beat Cedar Bluff 3-0 behind Faircloth's three-hitter and one-hitter respectively.

This has been typical this season, the first in school history that Holy Spirit has made the championship game.

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"Her ball has incredible life on it," Holy Spirit coach Jeff Laubenthal said. "She never throws anything straight. Even her fastball's got a tail to it. It's difficult to barrel up, and she combines it with a rise ball. She throws a low rise and high rise. ... It makes the hitter guess a lot more."

Faircloth previously pitched three straight games on the second day its 1A-Area 9 tournament. After losing 1-0 to South Lamar on a wild pitch during the first day, Faircloth rebounded with two straight no-hitters, three wins and the area championship.

Laubenthal called the loss "the best thing that ever happened" because it let the Saints know Faircloth could pitch three games in one day at state.

Mission complete.

"I really think my teammates really keep me going. I could have given up so much earlier than this, and I really think that their encouragement and being there for me all the time has helped me keep going. I've just been playing for them because they play for me all the time."

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But the mission isn't finished. Holy Spirit can win its first state championship with one win Saturday.

Holy Spirit awaits who it will play. Skyline and Woodland play in a consolation semifinal with the winner playing Brantley in the consolation final. 

That winner plays Holy Spirit at 5 p.m. Saturday in the Class 1A championship. If Holy Spirit loses it, it gets another chance at the championship at 6:45 p.m.

When asked if Faircloth could pitch two more games on Saturday, Laubenthal replied, "We're going to take care of business."

Jerell Rushin is a recruiting reporter for the Tuscaloosa News and the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jrushin@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @JerellRushin_.