Billingsley softball won the opening game of the Class 1A state softball tournament, 6-5, in clutch fashion against Decatur Heritage on Wednesday at Lagoon Park in Montgomery.

Senior Anna Asbury came up big for the Bears with a walk-off single that found a hole up the middle and scored Madison Motley from third.

“It was fun to coach, but probably a little less gut-wrenching to watch,” Billingsley head coach J.T. Lawrence said.

Billingsley carried a 5-2 lead into the top of the seventh inning, but Decatur Heritage pushed three runs across the plate and tied the game at 5-all.

Motley led off the second inning with a stand-up double and stood in scoring position with no outs.

“The mindset always remains the same regardless of the situation,” Motley said. “It’s always about remaining confident and just looking to win.”

The Bears had runners on second and third as Asbury stepped to the plate and delivered the game-winning base hit to the delight of her teammates, who ran out of the dugout to congratulate her.

“I knew I had to get a hit no matter what,” Asbury said. “It was really emotional afterward.”

As the game progressed, Billingsley pitcher Katlyn Childress’ strikeout total continued to climb, and she finished the game with 13.

“She was able to stay consistent, and she did a good job of playing to her strengths with a lot of movement on the ball,” Lawrence said. “It was definitely huge for us today.”

It was the third straight year that Billingsley has begun the state tournament with a win.

However, the Bears had followed the victory with consecutive loses each of their past two trips to state.

Billingsley reversed the trend and defeated Ragland 8-1 on Wednesday in Round 2 of the winner’s bracket portion of the tournament.

“We’ve gotten a taste of it in the past, but this year we want it all,” Childress said.

The Bears will face Brantley in Round 3 on Thursday with first pitch set for 9 a.m. at Lagoon Park in Montgomery.