Northwest Georgia's annual party at the GHSA softball fastpitch championships added another invitee Thursday, but one notable contender will have to wait until later today to see if its title hopes continue.
Trion swept a doubleheader to take its best-of-three series in the second round of the state playoffs, winning 8-2 and 12-0 at Emanuel County Institute. The Lady Bulldogs (16-5) joined four other area teams - Dalton in Class AAAAAA, Heritage and LaFayette in AAAA and Gordon Lee in Class A public - that had already qualified for next week's double-elimination brackets in Columbus.
But Calhoun, the 2017 Class AAA champion, split a doubleheader with Jackson County, winning 8-0 before losing 3-2 on a pair of unearned runs in the fourth inning.
Trion, the runner-up to Gordon Lee in Class A public last season and the 11th overall seed this year, had little trouble with sixth-seeded ECI. The Lady Bulldogs rode a pair of sterling performances from pitcher Whitney Shepherd, with each game shortened to five innings, and set the tone with an eight-run inning in game one.
"We played very, very well," said Trion coach Jason Lanham, whose team is making its fifth consecutive trip to Columbus. "The eight-run inning in game one was huge, and we got big hits from Shelby Carlock, Bailey Coker and Tianna Youngblood. We really set the tone early, and Whitney pitched very well."
Shepherd allowed a pair of first-inning runs in game one, but she shut out the hosts the rest of the way, including five no-hit innings in game two. Shelby Carlock had five hits and three RBIs in the doubleheader, with Darrian Jones adding three hits and three RBIs.
Calhoun (25-8) rolled in game one in its Class AAA second-round playoff series, putting the game away with Molly Walker's grand slam in the fifth inning. However, a misplay in the fourth inning of game two gave the visitors enough room to force a deciding game today at 5.
"They were very disappointed, but we didn't deserve to win that second game," Calhoun coach Diane Smith said. "The basic fundamentals will kill you if you don't execute. I think the girls are ready to get it done today, but we have to play better."
Scores were not reported for Sonoraville's Class AAA second-round doubleheader at Morgan County.
In Class AA, Chattooga lost 10-2 to Social Circle in game three of a second-round series. Katie Williams had three hits and Sydney Marshall drove in two in the loss.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.