GCAA Region 17 Softball Tournament
The GCAA softball tournament is complete with Darton crowned as the 2014 GCAA / Region 17 Champion. The title game featured #1 seed Darton and #2 Abraham Baldwin and like most of the tournament did not dissappoint. The complete tournament recap can be seen below.
DAY 3 CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP
In the first game of day three, ABAC and Georgia Highlands battled through six innings with no score. GHC jumped on top 1-0 with a single by Emily Willingham to score Lindsay Roach. A great 2 out diving catch by GHC outfielder Lindsey Miles ended the bottom of the 6th killing a potential rally for the Fillies. In the bottom of the 7th, pitcher Rachael Hill who fanned 8 batters on the day led off with a walk. Katrese Brown then walked to put runners at first and second. Number nine hitter Maiah Talmage stroked a pitch against the fence in right center field to drive in the winning runs with a walk off double, Giving ABAC a 2-1 victory and advancing to the championship game against undefeated Darton.
In the championship game, ABAC’s Jenna Byrd hit a home run off of Darton’s starter, Tiffany Bishop, and Taylor Boyett scored on a Darton error to put ABAC up 2-0 in the fourth inning. However, Darton’s Nicole McInerney countered with a 2 RBI double in the bottom of the fourth to change the game. Darton scored another run and entered the fifth inning ahead 3-2.
The Lady Cavs picked up to more runs in the fifth as Jordan Allen scored Bree Wells and a two out single by Jostlyn Higgerson increased the lead to 5-2. Darton added another pair in the sixth, but ABAC scored three runs in the seventh in a late-game rally against reliever Sommar Wright to get within two runs of Darton’s lead.
Wright, however, struck out Byrd for the third out of the inning and clinched Darton’s 19th straight win and the Region 17 Championship title.
DAY 2 RECAP
In game one, Georgia Military eliminated East Georgia 8-7 after a game that went back and forth. The Bulldogs started the game by committing three errors to go along with a Jada Lawson RBI single to give East Georgia a 3-0 lead. GMC opened the top of the 3rd scoring 4 runs with an RBI single from Morgan Long and a double from Summer Sloan to drive in 2 runs and give the Bulldogs a 4-3 lead. Alexis Boyd increased the lead to 5-3 with a solo homerun in the top of the fifth. In the bottom 5th, Jada Lawson cut the lead to 8-5 with a 2 run homerun. The Bobcats scored 2 more runs in the bottom of the 6th to cut the lead to 8-7. The game ended with this score.
The second elimination game was exciting as the game went extra innings before the outcome was determined with a come from behind victory by Georgia Highlands 7-6 over GPC. The Jaguars took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when Lyndsey Pardon singled to score Abby Hulsey. GHC answered in the bottom of the frame with a homerun by Emily Willingham. It remained 1-1 when GPC took a 2-1 lead on a double by Hulsey followed by a 2 out double by Hannah McSwain to score Hulsey. In the bottom of the seventh Jerrica Littlejohn drove in the tying run to send it to extra innings. GPC scored 4 runs in the top of the 8th to take a 6-2 lead that was capped off with a Maegan Coddington 3 run homer. The Chargers then did the unthinkable, scoring 5 runs in the bottom of the 8th for a come from behind win. Willingham had a 2 RBI double and Kristen Mullis had the game winning RBI.
Game three featured unbeaten Darton and ABAC with the winner moving to the championship game. Darton jumped on ABAC in the bottom of the third scoring 5 runs on a RBI double by Church, a 2 run HR by Jordan Allen and a 2 run HR by Jostlyn Higgerson. ABAC managed a run in the top of the 7th on a solo homerun by Jenna Byrd but the Cavaliers remained undefeated with a 5-1 win.
The final game of the day was the last elimination game and to this point in the tournament the first run rule game. Georgia Highlands scored two runs in the bottom of the first scoring Karlie Jarrett on a Hillary Rowell single and a Medlin sacrifice fly. The Chargers turned on the hitting barrage scoring 7 runs on 11 hits to take a 9-0 lead over Georgia Military. GHC scored the final run and then held the bulldogs scoreless to get the 10-0 win called short because of the run rule.
DAY 1 RECAP:
Game one featured #3 GPC and #4 E. GA. The Bobcats jumped in front taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the third and added another run on a Sutton Appling single to lead 2-0 after 3 and a half innings. In the bottom of the fourth the Jaguars cut the lead in half on a solo homerun from Abby Hulsey. GPC scored two more runs in the bottom of the 5th to take a 3-2 lead. That lead would not hold up as E. GA scored on a Hanna Kidd solo home run and Jada Lawson scored on a 2 out single by Appling to win by a score of 4-3 margin.
In game two Georgia Highlands quickly found themselves down 3-0 to Georgia Military with a homerun from Morgan Long in the first and a 2 RBI single by Brittany Rosenberry. It stayed that way until the bottom of the 5th when RBI singles by Lindsey Miles and Karlie Jarrett tied the game at 3-3 for the Chargers. The Chargers had RBI singles from Emily Willingham and Jerrica Littljohn in the bottom of the 6th to take a 6-3 lead. That lead would end up being the final score.
Top seed Darton was finally able to take the field in game three against E. GA and it didn't look good for the Lady Cavaliers at the start as the Bobcats hit a solo homerun from Danielle Rheaume in the first and a two run homerun from Anna Jackson in the second. The Lady Cavaliers regained their composure in the third scoring 6 runs, highlighted by a bases clearing double by Katelyn Johnson to take a 6-3 lead. Darton scored 2 runs in the bottom of the fourth and 2 more in the bottom of the sixth to increase the lead to 10-3 and the win by the same score.
Game four had second seed ABAC playing Georgia Highlands in the nightcap. This game was a low scoring affair with the Fillies scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the third and GHC answered with one of their own in the top of the fourth to cut the lead 2-1. There were multiple opportunities for ABAC to blow this game wide open yet they could not take advantage of a clutch hit. ABAC left 12 runners on base and can thank pitcher Rachel Hill for the 2-1 win as she struck out 7 Chargers going the distance while giving up just 4 hits.