COLUMBUS, Ga. — There are many stories of athletic teams having the talent and the motivation to achieve the ultimate goal only to fall short.
For the Heritage High School softball team, however, its openly discussed “mission” of winning the GHSA Class AAAA championship seemed to never really be in doubt.
The Generals capped an undefeated postseason with a 10-2 win over Wayne County on Saturday — thanks in large part to senior Harper Carstens’ two home runs and six RBIs — to capture their fourth state championship at the South Commons Softball Complex.
“They have bought into what we’ve been preaching since the summer, and that’s easier said than done,” said Heritage coach Megan Crawford, whose team outscored its opponents 26-4 in Columbus over four games in as many days. “They’ve gotten in the weight room and they’ve lived in the batting cage and they’ve just worked hard to get this, and it showed with the results this weekend.”
Gordon Lee’s run at a 12th state title fell short after a late rally against Wesleyan in the Class AAA losers-bracket final came up a run shy in a 4-3 loss.