Columbus-bound: Houston County, Jones County, Perry, West Laurens, Rutland, Monticello, GMC, Tattnall, Stratford and FPD advance

            Houston County, West Laurens and Tattnall eliminated suspense with a pair of easy wins in the GHSA softball playoffs Wednesday, and will be joined by Jones County, Perry, Rutland, Monticello, GMC, Tattnall, FPD and Stratford in Columbus for the tournament.

            The tournament starts on Oct. 26 at the South Commons Complex in Columbus.

            Dodge County,  Bleckley County and Mount de Sales are in game threes on Thursday to try and join their Central Georgia neighbors. Peach County was eliminated.

            Perry and FPD had wild second games.

            Perry went from a 5-1 lead to a 9-5 deficit, Thomson scoring eight in the fourth. The Panthers scored three in the sixth to pull within one, then took the lead with two in the sixth – including a steal of home - and held on for a 10-9 win.

            FPD trailed 6-1 after two innings, scored three in the sixth to tie it at 8-8, and then blew things open with a stunning 10 runs in the seventh inning for an 18-8 series-clinching win over Darlington.

            FPD, the defending Class A private champion, is back for the fifth straight year while GMC returns for the sixth consecutive year.

GHSA Softball Tournament

Second Round

Wednesday

Class AAAAAA

Houston County 13-16, Lakeside-Evans 0-3

            The Bears banged out 16 hits while Rylee Lamb held Lakeside to a hit in the easy win between former region foes. The Bears got five in the second and seven in the third to pull away in the four-inning win. Madi Campbell and Megan Whitaker had three hits each while Taylor Peebles, Grace Hardee and Kenly Sullivan had two hits each, Hardee and Sullivan both driving in three runs.

            Houston County (22-8) put it away with five in the third and seven in the fourth in a 21-hit game. Lamb whiffed four in five innings, getting home runs from Campbell, Hardee, Megan Whitaker and two from Sullivan. Campbell and Sullivan had three RBI each.

Class AAAAA

Jones County 7-9, South Effingham 3-0, Jones County advances
 

Class AAAA

Perry 14-10, Thomson 5-9

            Annie Chance drove in six runs with four hits, Lauren Heath had three hits and five more Panthers had two-hit games as Perry rolled in the opener with 19 hits. Chance had a double and Terra Odom – who scored three runs – a triple for Perry, which got an efficient pitching outing from Ashley Gidney, who survived 15 hits by stranding six runners and picking two off.

            Thomson trailed 5-1, scored eight in a very long fourth inning to take the lead, but the Panthers scored three in the fifth and two in the sixth to take a 10-9 lead, on Abby Ussery’s steal of home and

 L.T. Reynolds’ RBI fly to center. Ashley Gidney, who came on for Charisma Winkler in the fourth and shut down Thomson to preserve the wild win.

West Laurens 15-13, Burke County 0-0, West Laurens advances

Class AAA

Worth County 6-14, Peach County 0-0, Peach County eliminated

            Peach County couldn’t get the offense going in losing at Worth County. The Trojans were held to three hits in the first game and were no-hit in the second, committing six errors in the two games.

 Rutland 3-1, Appling County 2-0, Rutland advances

            Keely Bryant’s two-out single scored Sadi Ratterree and Ejunah Sledge for Rutland’s two runs – and the difference – in the fourth inning of the first game. Bailey Caldwell threw a two-hitter to win the pitcher’s duel, the Hurricanes’ offense sparked by Breasia Davis’ two hits and Bryant’s two RBI.

            Caldwell came up big in the nightcap, making a second-inning run hold up for Rutland, which had only four hits. Caldwell struck out three, walked one and allowed two hits, helped by 19 first-pitch strikes against 25 batters.

Class AA

Bleckley County 6-0 , Berrien 2-6, Game 3, 4:30 p.m., Thursday

            Bailey Odom threw a two-hitter and Landa Dominy went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI and 2 runs in the first game for Bleckley County, which scored single runs in four straight innings in the opener, the Royals surviving four errors.

            Berrien got strong pitching in the nightcap, giving up only five hits and getting control with a three-run fourth. The Royals stranded nine runners.

Monticello 8-10, Lamar County 3-6, Monticello advances

Dodge County 9-1, Vidalia 0-2, Game 3 Thursday at Dodge County

Class A Public

No. 8 GMC 1-6, No. 9 Lanier County 0-3, GMC advances

            Taylor Scott went six innings and Jordan Spear one to lead GMC to the pitchers duel win. The Bulldogs got the lone run in the second when Scott singled, courtesy runner Cire Foston advanced on a sacrifice and scored on Laila Long’s single to center.

            A four-run fourth propelled the Bulldogs (16-7-1). Cade Bass, Makenna Talcott, Jordan Waller and Kate McGhee – first four in the lineup – each had two hits, McGhee driving in three runs. Taylor Scott struck out nine to help the Bulldogs reach Columbus for the sixth straight year.

Class A Private

No. 2. Tattnall 12-15, No. 18 Landmark Christian 0-0, Tattnall advances

            Nine runs in the first two inning were plenty for Ashleigh Morton, who threw a no-hitter in the four-inning win with four strikeouts and no walks. The Trojans, who took advantage of nine walks and three errors, got two-hit games in the opener from Courtney Ball and Kenna Epps, who drove in three runs.

            The Trojans (27-4) put the three-inning game away with a 10-run first inning, sparked by Allie Gordon’s three-run homer. She drove in four runs, Grace Hiller and Ashleigh Morton each adding three RBI and two hits.

No. 7 FPD 2-18, No. 23 Darlington 0-8, FPD advances

            Sadie Frame’s two-run homer on a 1-2 pitch lifted the Vikings to the thrilling first-game walk-off win, pitcher Karsen Ochs throwing a one-hitter.

            Darlington got going early with three runs in each of the first two innings of the second game only for FPD to score three in the sixth to tie it and a whopping 10 runs in the seventh to more than put it away and advance.

Ochs opened the sixth inning of the nightcap getting hit, and that was followed by a passed ball and then a two-run homer by Caylee Ann Sutton. Olivia Parker then singled, advanced on two grounders and scored on ball and then scored the tying run on Sydnee Sconyers’ double.

Sutton drove in six runs with five hits in the nightcap.

No. 9 Stratford 6-6, No. 8 Brookstone 1-3, Stratford advances

            Brookstone tied the game with three runs in the top of the sixth of the second game only for Stratford to score three in the bottom half to hold on and advance. Freshman Kenna McElmurray got the first-game win.

No. 11 Mount de Sales 1-6, No. 6 Mt. Pisgah 4-2

            Game 3 is at 4 p.m. Thursday at Mt. Pisgah.