Woodland splits with Carrollton in region championship series; Adairsville wins at 6-AAA tourney
Woodland softball split a doubleheader at Carrollton Tuesday night forcing a rubber game Wednesday in Carrollton for the Region 7-AAAAA championship and No. 1 seed in the Class AAAAA state tournament.
Carrollton won Game 1 8-2, but the Lady Cats bounced back in the nightcap to win, 9-7.
The host Lady Trojans scored five runs in the bottom of the first inning in Game 1 to take control and Carrollton pitcher Olivia Fannin limited Woodland to only one earned run on five hits and a walk. Fannin struck out eight.
Sarah Baynard (6 IP, 8ER, 9H, 2BB, 1K) suffered the pitching loss.
Maddie Mashburn was 3-for-3 for Carrollton with three RBI. Allie Threadgill and Scout Jennings both had two hits for the Trojans.
Bella Carnes (photo) doubled, tripled, and drove in two runs for Woodland in the loss. Hannah Miller, Jordan Duck, and Caroline Higdon had the other Lady Cats’ hits.
In Game 2, Woodland — playing as the home team — fell behind 6-1 in the second inning before coming-from-behind with four runs in the bottom of the second and four more in the bottom of the fifth for a 9-7 win.
Madi Bentley (7 IP, 7ER, 12H, 3BB) was Woodland’s winning pitcher with a complete-game effort. Fannin (6 IP, 9R, 3ER, 9H, 3BB, 7K) suffered the loss in the circle for Carrollton.
Fannin and Carlie Monsour combined for five hits and five RBI for the Trojans. One of Fannin’s three hits was a first inning, two-run home run. Zahiria Dunson also had a two hit game for Carrollton.
Morgan Bailey paced the Wildcats with three hits and one RBI. Ansley Evans followed with a pair of hits, including a double and one RBI. Jordan Duck and Skylar Chappell contributed one hit and one RBI apiece. Morgan Cooper doubled. Hannah Miller added a hit and Bella Carnes drove in a run.
Including the regular season games, Woodland and Carrollton have now split four games during the 2018 season. Carrollton is now 22-4 on the year. Woodland is 21-7.
The winner-take-all Game 3 of the series is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start Wednesday at Carrollton.
ADAIRSVILLE STAYS ALIVE AT REGION 6-AAA TOURNEY
Adairsville softball survived an elimination game at the Region 6-AAA tournament Tuesday evening, defeating Haralson County 9-7 at the Calhoun Recreation Department.
The Lady Tigers swapped the lead with Haralson County early but scored three times in both the fifth and sixth innings to take control with a 9-5 lead.
Haralson County challenged with two runs in the bottom of the seventh and had a runner on base when Adairsville pitcher Taylor Rhoades got a two-out fly out to secure the victory.
Rhoades (3.2 IP, 2R, 0ER, 3H, 3BB, 2K) picked up the pitching win for Adairsville in relief of starter Victoria O’Neal (3.1 IP, 5R, 0ER, 4H, 3BB, 1K).
Chloe Souders had two hits including a double for the Tigers. Natalie Burrow had a double and two RBI. O’Neal had a hit and two RBI. Alexa Varner had one RBI and a double. Sierra Tanner, Havyn Isaac, Sadye Johnson (RBI), and Cortni Jacobs added one hit each.
Ellie Maria (2 RBI), Emily Lightfoot (double), and Claire Campbell combined for six of the Lady Rebels’ seven hits.
Haralson County’s season ends with a 15-10 record.
Adairsville (8-20) stays alive in the losers’ bracket and will face either Coahulla Creek or Calhoun at 5 p.m. Wednesday in another elimination game back at the Calhoun Rec Center. If the Tigers win at 5 p.m., they will play again at 7 p.m. Wednesday for an opportunity to qualify for the state playoffs.
CASS FALLS TO LAST INNING RALLY
Cass softball lost its first game in the Region 7-AAAAA Tournament Tuesday night at 7-6 to Hiram on a walk-off hit in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The game was played at East Paulding.
The Lady Colonels had a 5-4 lead going into the home half of the seventh inning, but Hiram loaded the bases ultimately set up the game winning hit by the Hornets’ Amina Paul.
Eryn Lee led the Colonels on offense, finishing 4-for-5 with two runs scored. Kylee Hembree had two hits, while Haley Owens and Rachael Lee had a hit and two RBIs apiece. Kaila Carson had the other hit for Cass.
The Lady Colonels face Kell in an elimination game at 5 p.m. Wednesday at East Paulding.
