DALTON, Ga. - Two storylines have remained consistent at the Region 7-AAAA softball tournament at Heritage Pointe Park. The tournament has been affected each day by weather, and the Gilmer County Lady Bobcats refuse to go away quietly.
Heritage, however, overcame Mother Nature and the scrappy girls from Ellijay with a sweep of what turned out to be a day-night doubleheader. The Generals (28-7), who had to come through the losers bracket after falling in the second round, won the first game Friday, 4-3 in eight innings to force a deciding game for the region title.
They were leading 3-0 when severe weather hit, and after a three-hour delay they finished the successful defense of their 2013 title with a 6-1 win over the seventh-seeded Lady Bobcats (12-16). Each team will host a first-round best-of-three state playoff series beginning Wednesday.
In the opener, Gilmer had a 2-1 lead going into the sixth inning before the Generals took a 3-2 on RBI singles from Sydney Smith and Hannah Wills. The Lady Bobcats tied it in the bottom half on a Chancey Davis single.
In the eighth, under international tiebreaker rules, Heritage's Olivia Tamewitz started the inning on second base and quickly was sacrificed to third by Brooklynn Frazier. Lauren Lawson then hit a ringing double to left-center for a 4-3 lead.
In the bottom half Gilmer had a runner at third and one out when Kaylee Deyton hit a fly ball to left, where Lawson caught it four steps from the fence and fired home. The ball reached home an instant before Gilmer's Bailey Charles, and Heritage catcher Shelby Hammontree held on for the out to end the game.
Freshman Ashley Faulkenberry earned the pitching win with a six-hitter, outdueling Gilmer freshman Taylor Boling, who also allowed six hits. Tamewitz and Lawson each was 3-for-4.
In the late final, Tamewitz went 3-for-3 with a triple, three stolen bases and two runs scored, and Lawson was the winning pitcher and went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for Heritage
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.