RINGGOLD, Ga. – Going into the 2020 softball season, the thought surrounding Region 6-AAA was the regular season would be a survival-of-the-fittest kind of storyline.
Two weeks into it, nothing has transpired to dispel that thought.
With Ringgold’s 1-0 win over Catoosa County rival Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe on Monday night, every team in 6-AAA – annually one of the Georgia High School Association’s top leagues in softball – now has at least one region loss. The Lady Tigers (4-3, 3-1), the 2019 state champions, received a much-needed pitching boost from Taylor Layne to hand the Lady Warriors (4-3) their first defeat in three league games this year.
“Taylor is showing some special talents in the circle by locating well and pitching through some adversity,” Ringgold coach Daniel Hackett said. “We were able to rely on her tonight, and I’m so proud to have her and watch her grow. Tonight was a big win against another good pitcher and team.”
Layne, after surrendering eight earned runs in a season-opening 19-10 loss to Heritage, now has a pair of shutout wins in league play. She held LFO to three hits and struck out five batters in a complete game Monday, benefiting from a pair of late-inning double plays.