The good news for northwest Georgia’s softball teams opening play in the fastpitch super sectional round Monday is that all five are still alive in search of a berth into next week’s championships in Columbus.
The bad news is that four of those five teams must come through the loser’s bracket to move on. Only Gordon Lee is in prime position, having swept two games in the Class AAA super regional in Chickamauga. The Lady Trojans need one in Tuesday’s championship round against either Stephens County or White County to advance in search of their 12th title.
Each of the four teams in the loser’s bracket lost their first game and won in the second — Gordon Lee (27-3-1) started its day with a 12-0 win over White County and later had another five-inning win, 12-2 over Stephens County. Kyliee Fryar had four hits and drove in six runs in the two games, with Laney Wilson adding five hits and six RBIs and Tenslee Wilson five hits and three RBIs for coach Dana Mull’s team.
Sydney Garrett earned the pitching win in each game, going a combined six innings and allowing two hits while striking out five.
LaFayette (18-7) lost 4-2 in eight innings to Pickens in the Sandy Creek super regional before routing the hosts 16-0 to stay alive. Ally Long’s two-run homer in the eighth inning won it for Pickens in the opener. The Ramblers took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Olivia Free’s two-run homer.