TRENTON, Ga. — It's a rare occurrence when a fastpitch softball team — at any level — wins anything of consequence with average pitching.
Big batting averages are nice, but make no mistake, pitching wins championships. It's a fact that Dade County High School coach Stephen Graham knows all too well, and it's a reason he was smiling after the Lady Wolverines swept a pair of home games Wednesday in a GHSA Class A Division I super regional.
Dade pitchers Lexi Lawson and Kayleigh Warnock allowed seven hits and no earned runs in 12 innings in 6-1 and 9-1 wins over St. Francis and Commerce, respectively. The Lady Wolverines (20-6), the Region 7 champions, will face the winner of the Jasper County-Commerce game at 1 p.m. Thursday in the championship round, needing to win once (a second game would follow if Dade loses) to advance to the eight-team state tournament next week in Columbus.
"The big thing is our pitching was on point today," Graham said. "We started our sophomore, Lexi Lawson, in game one and she did really well against St. Francis, and Kayleigh Warnock kept up her recent hot streak with another great outing. After a slow start, in her last 10 games she's averaging 10 or more strikeouts.
"With softball, as everybody knows, it takes great pitching to win. When you have someone dominating in the circle, it also takes pressure off your hitters."
Dade made its eight hits versus St. Francis count as Adilynn Gross had two, with Falyn Baggett, Rylee Byram and Madi Page each driving in a run. Lawson allowed four hits and struck out six batters in a complete game.
Warnock had to go just five innings in the second game, but the senior allowed only an unearned run and three hits while striking out eight batters. She got plenty of offensive support as Byram got things going with a two-run double in the second inning and added an RBI in a four-run third. KK Castleberry had two hits and two RBIs, with Byram adding two hits and three RBIs, and Warnock helped her own cause with three hits and an RBI.
Also in Class A Division I, Trion is in the championship round at the Elbert County super regional after wins of 8-2 over Whitefield Academy and 14-10 over the hosts.
In the second game, Aubree Weaver had four hits, two RBIs and two runs scored, Madison Huskey three hits and three runs scored, Abbi Wheat three hits, two RBIs and two runs scored, and Sarah Brooke Kelehear three RBIs on two hits.
In Class AAAA, host Heritage played only one game but made the most of it with a 20-2 win over Miller Grove. Harper Carstens was 3-for-3 with three RBIs and three runs scored to lead an 18-hit attack in the three-inning game. Bailee Hollis had three hits, including a homer, with Macie Collins, Brylee Pritchett and Jenna Ryans each adding two hits for the Generals.
Heritage (22-2-1), the Region 7 champion, will face East Forsyth in the winners-bracket final at noon Thursday. The championship round is set for 5 p.m., with a second game to follow the first if necessary.
Northwest Whitfield split a pair of games in the Westminster super regional, falling to the hosts 2-1 before getting past Stockbridge 15-12 to stay alive.
Jolie Albertson lost a pitchers duel to Westminster's Adelaide Banks (seven innings, two hits, no earned runs) after going six innings and allowing only three hits while striking out 12 batters. Albertson also drove in the Lady Bruins' lone run with a double in the fifth inning.
Northwest scored three runs in the seventh inning to top Stockbridge, with Lindsey Harris and Albertson knocking in runs. Harris was 4-for-5 and Abigail Rann 2-for-3 with three RBIs and three runs scored. The Lady Bruins have a rematch with Westminster in the losers-bracket final at 2:45 p.m. Thursday.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com.