Heritage's Sydney Smith returns to home base and her teammates after hitting a home run against Whitewater at Heritage High School in Ringgold, Ga., on Wednesday.Runs in bunches, sparkling defense and a steady arm in the circle - Heritage High School softball had it all. They broke out the brooms with a Class AAAA second round playoff sweep over Whitewater on Wednesday night at Heritage.
The Lady Generals (31-7) used an abundance of late inning runs to seal the 11-3 and 9-1 wins.
In the first matchup, the middle to bottom half of the order, led by Sydney Smith led the way, as the number five through eight hitters combined to go 8-for-13 with two walks and eight RBIs. Smith was a single shy of the cycle and scored three runs.
"I was just up there ready to hit. I wanted to help our team win," she said.
Heritage scored their first two runs in the second inning. Smith led off with a triple to set the table, and Hannah Wills walked in front of Krissi Prewitt, who smacked a two-run double over the center fielder's head.
The Lady General's would strike for two more in the third, and tacked one on in the fourth when Smith homered to left center. Lauren Lawson kept the Whitewater bats at bay for the most part, scattering six hits over six innings of work.
The only true threat came in the sixth, when Katelyn Perry laced a two-run double down the first base line to cut the Heritage lead in half at 6-3. But the Lady Generals closed the game out with five runs in the bottom half of the frame.
"We're scoring a lot of runs," said Heritage coach Steve Chattin. "We're around our ninth straight game averaging nine-plus runs, and if you're scoring nine runs, you're going to win a lot of games."
The nightcap would tell a different story, with the Lady Generals looking to their defense to make plays. After scoring three runs in the first, they were shut down by Lady Wildcats pitcher Maci Townsend.
Townsend held her opponents scoreless until the sixth inning. In the meantime, Lawson faced constant pressure from Whitewater.
Multiple baserunners threatened to close the gap from the third inning onward, but as Smith put it, "We have our pitcher's back."
"We think we have one of the best, if not the best, defense in the state," Chattin said. "[Lawson] has pitched great all season, and the girls have made a lot of plays behind her."
Wills, who went 4-for-4 in the game with three RBIs and made several dazzling plays at shortstop, including an inning-ending double play on a line drive. Her middle infield partner, Brooklynn Frazier also helped Heritage escape a bases-loaded jam with a nice play, and despite 10 hits, the Lady Wildcats only managed one run.
Heritage would break through late again, scoring three runs in each the sixth and seventh innings. Frazier and Smith provided the heavy hits with a triple each in the late innings.
"We're at the point where we feel like we can contend for a state title every year," said Chattin. "Unless we win it all, we'll be disappointed, so this is another step."
Shelby Hammontree joined Wills in collecting three hits and Lawson won for the second time in as many tries from the pitcher's circle.