It feels like the softball season just started and already we

have been forced to say goodbye to some teams. The McIntosh

Lady Chiefs, the Sandy Creek Lady Patriots and the Starr's Mill

Lady Panthers played in the state sectionals this past weekend.

They were playing for an entry into the state tournament. They were

playing to not go gentle into that good night called the off-season.

McIntosh won their game against Lakeside High School

of Evans County by a score of 6-1. Shortstop Britte Hardy had

four hits in the win including two doubles. Candace Moore,

Brooke King and Jennifer Ward each had three hits including a double.

King pitched seven innings against Lakeside, giving up three

hits, striking out seven and issuing three walks. Sabrina McCord hit

a homerun in the second inning and the Chiefs never looked back.

The winner's bracket pitted the Lady Chiefs against Harrison

High School.

The game against Harrison was scoreless until the fourth

inning, where McIntosh committed five errors allowing Harrison to

score five runs. The Lady Chiefs could produce no offense and lost

10-0 to Harrison. Brooke King and Senior Amie Lawrence shared

pitching duties in the loss. King pitched four innings and struck out

five while Lawrence pitched two innings, walked three batters and

gave up one hit.

McIntosh then had to face the top 3-AAAA team, Lovejoy

High School. The Lady Chiefs struck in the first with Candace Moore

scoring off of a double by Britte Hardy. Lovejoy tied it in the top of

the second but Abby King scored from second base off an error in

the bottom of the second to give the Lady Chiefs the lead.

Lovejoy scored five runs in the fourth inning and another run in the fifth

to take a 7-2 lead, but the Lady Chiefs were not done.

They scored five runs in the sixth with two outs.

Catcher Megan Mulcahy was hit by a pitch which scored Sabrina McCord

on third base. The bases were loaded for Candace Moore who

doubled, scoring two runs and Britte Hardy followed with a single that

scored two runs. Lovejoy and McIntosh were tied 7-7 in the ninth

inning when Lovejoy scored on two Lady Chief errors.

The Lady Chiefs finished the season with a record of 25-8

and will lose eight of their 14 varsity players to graduation this

year. They played a great season, finished with a fantastic record and

should not be hanging their heads at all.

Starr's Mill and Sandy Creek both had tough times at the

AAA sectionals in Conyers last weekend. Starr's Mill won their

opening match against Greenbrier 8-1. Kelsey McBride was the

winning pitcher for the Panthers as Kristen Tuttle went for three for three

at the plate. The Panthers got more offense from Megan Laggis

who went two for three and Jamie Vining, who went two for

four. The offense then disappeared for Starr's Mill as they only

produced seven hits over the next two games.

After their game with Greenbrier, Starr's Mill faced

Jones County and lost 5-2. Jamie Vining went two for four again and

the only other Panther hits came from Shannon Vining and Erin

Keating. Kelly Davis was the losing pitcher for Starr's Mill. The Panthers

then faced Jordan High School in what would be their final game of

the season. The struggling offense only produced three hits

against Jordan and lost 8-2. The Panthers should feel good about where

they got this season though as it was a dramatic improvement from

last season. They finished 18-9 overall. The other plus for Starr's

Mill is that they return the entire squad next season and should be a

top contender in AAA ball.

The other top contender next year should be the Sandy

Creek Lady Patriots. They dropped two consecutive games in Conyers

last weekend but return 12 players from their 15 person varsity

roster. The Lady Patriots lost to Dublin High School 5-4.

Sandy Creek led 4-0 in the sixth inning only to watch the game

wither before them. The next game against Jordan was no easier

for Sandy Creek as sophomore pitcher Tika Hayes pitched

brilliantly, throwing a no-hitter., Unfortunately, two unearned runs

scored off errors. Jessica Demooney was the only batter to get a hit for

the Lady Patriots in the 2-0 loss. Sandy Creek finished the season with

a record of 20 -7 and know they'll be back at the top next year.

This may have been one of the most exciting seasons in

recent history. Every coach, player and fan should be proud of the

excellence and sportsmanship displayed by the local teams.

We now must wait for next summer.

AAAA Sectionals

McIntosh -6 Lakeside -1

McIntosh -0 Harrison -10

McIntosh -7 Lovejoy -9

AAA Sectionals

Starr's Mill -8 Greenbrier -1

Starr's Mill -2 Jones Co. -5

Starr's Mill -2 Jordan -8

Sandy Creek -4 Dublin -5

Sandy Creek -0 Jordan -2

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