Wednesday's Central Georgia GHSA softball playoffs

Quarterfinals

Class 6A

Creekview (R7/1) 8, Houston County (R1/1) 2; Creekview 11, Houston County 0; Houston County eliminated

          The visitors dealt a knockout punch with a seven-run fourth, good enough to render three errors irrelevant. Makayla Krepps had two of Houston County’s five hits. Creekview pitching sizzled in the 4.5-inning nightcap, boosted by nine runs in the first two innings and holding the Bears hitless until the final at-bat.

Class 5A

Jones County (R4/3) 5, Woodland-Cartersville (R7/2) 0; Woodland 8, Jones County 6 (8 inn.); Jones County 10, Woodland 1; Jones County advances, plays Starrs Mill Friday at 3 p.m.

          The third game was tight and drama-filled for four innings, Jones County leading 2-1, thanks to Destiny Howard’s two-run homer. Then came the fifth, and there went the Greyhounds. Jones County gained control with five runs in the fifth, boosted by another homer from Howard, and sealed it with three in the seventh. Howard had three hits and five RBI, and needed only 79 pitches for the complete-game three-hit win. Five Greyhound runs were unearned, thanks in part to three Woodland errors.

          (Tuesday) Taylor Trefelner got Jones County going in the opener with a two-run homer in the second, and Shayla Pennington had an RBI hit in the fourth and Molly Keenum a two-run hit in the fifth as the Greyounds finished with a 10-3 hits advantage. Jones County went from a 1-0 lead after one in the nightcap to a 4-2 deficit after five. Jones County’s Stephanie Youngblood belted a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to send it into extra innings, part of a four-run inning after Woodland went up 6-2 in the top of the seventh. The Wildcats got two runs in the top of the eighth with two outs, thus surviving five errors. Youngblood had two of Jones County’s five hits.

Class 4A

Madison County (R8/2) 4, West Laurens (R4/1) 1; West Laurens 2, Madison County 1; West Laurens 5, Madison County 2; West Laurens advances, plays Heritage-Catoosa on Friday at 3 p.m.

           The Raider broke a 1-all tie with four in the fifth, then watched the Red Raiders get one back in the bottom half. But

          McKenzie Maddox opened the top of the fifth with a homer, and then Hudson Smith belted an RBI double. Taylor Thompson followed three batters later with a run-scoring single, and another run came in on an error on Taylor Sapp’s grounder. Alyssa Jones went the distance for the win, allowing six hits.

Class A Public

ECI (R3/2) 2, ACE (R7/1) 1; ECI 4, ACE 2; ACE eliminated

Class A Private

No. 2 Mount de Sales 2, Brookstone (R2/3) 0; Mount de Sales 13, Brookstone 1; MdS advances, plays Strong Rock Christian Friday at 1 p.m.

          A quality pitching duel turned the Cavs’ way in the bottom of the sixth when Henderson Hurdle singled and Sarah Hatcher brought her around with a homer on a 2-2 pitch. After giving up a leadoff single in the bottom half, Jordyn Partain retired the side in order to finish a nine-strikeout, two-walk, two-hit game. Things were pretty snug in the second game with MdS leading 3-1 through three, but then the Cavs bats blew up with two three, and five in the next three innings – aided by a five-error game from Brookstone – to finish it in six. Partain was brutal at the plate, going 4 for 4 with four runs and a whopping seven RBI.Hurdle had three hits, with Hatcher and Chloe Nepveuxadding two hits and Ava DellaDonna two RBI. Partain left the circle in the first, and Nepveux got the win after five strikeouts, one walk, and one hit in 5.1 innings.

No. 8 Strong Rock 2, No. 6 Stratford 1 (9 inn.); Strong Rock 15, Stratford 4; Stratford eliminated

          A two-out single to left – after a walk, steal, error, and walk gave Strong Rock the opener  win in nine innings. Stratford scored in the second, and Strong Rock answered in the fifth, winnng despite three errors and outhit 8-5. Taylor Justice had three hits and Kamber Thalongsengchanh two for the Eagles, Kenna McElmurray throwing a five-hitter, with an unearned run. In the second game, Stratford led 3-2 after three only for Strong Rock to pull ahead 7-2 after five.