RINGGOLD, Ga. - The high school softball programs at Northwest Whitfield and Heritage have a rich postseason history, and Wednesday's Region 7-AAAA semifinal doubleheader split only added to it.
The teams, two years after playing for the state championship, met in the region's new best-of-three tournament format for the right to advance to the title round and host at least one state playoff series.
The Lady Bruins (16-15) scored all of their runs in the seventh inning of the first game to pull out a surprising 3-2 win, but the Generals (25-4) responded with a 12-0 five-inning win in second game to force a deciding matchup at 5:55 p.m. today at Heritage.
"It doesn't matter what the scores were, it all comes down to one game," Northwest coach Jason Brooker said. "Two weeks ago, if you had told me we would split with Heritage in the semifinals and go to a third game, I would have taken it right there."
Heritage's Raleigh Lewis watches her two-run triple fly to the outfield in the second game of a double-header against Northwest Whitfield Wedneday night. Heritage was seemingly cruising to a win in the first game before Northwest's seventh-inning rally began with a walk and an error. Heritage pitcher Taelyn Bates recorded the next two outs, but with runners on second and third, Olivia Elrod tied the game with a single; moments later, KayLeigh Fitzgerald laced an RBI single to right field for what proved to be the winning run.
Northwest pitcher Anna Grace Rann allowed a leadoff single to Shelby Hammontree in the bottom half, but Rann stranded her at third to seal the win.
Heritage finally got to Rann in the second inning of the next game. Olivia Tamewitz had the first of her three extra-base hits, a two-run triple, and the Generals put three more runs on the board in the third inning on another two-run triple by Raleigh Lewis and Hannah Wills' sacrifice fly.
After adding a run in the fourth, Heritage put the game away with six in the fifth on just two hits as Brooker rested Rann to get ready for tonight's win-or-go-home game.
Madison Morris earned the win with four innings of one-hit pitching, with Lindsey Knox pitching a scoreless fifth.
"We were disappointed in the first game, but to bounce back after a game like that was all I could ask for, so I'm very proud of them for that," Heritage coach Jason Carter said. "You worry about coming back out after the way we lost that first game, but the girls did what they were supposed to do.
"Maddie has had some struggles at times this year, but tonight she threw as well as she's thrown all year, and we needed it. The key tomorrow is to get more good pitching and just do the things we did in the second game."
* The winner of today's game will play surprising Ridgeland in a one-game championship either Friday or Saturday. The Lady Panthers swept No. 2 seed Gilmer on Wednesday, winning 6-3 and 3-1, with the second game going eight innings. Heritage would host Ridgeland if it wins today, while Ridgeland would host Northwest if the Lady Bruins are victorious.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296. Follow him at Twitter.com/youngsports22.