Starr's Mill and Fayette

County are among the Elite Eight in the AAAAA state softball tournament,

which continues this weekend at Columbus.

Both teams traveled to Valdosta for the state sectionals, with Starr's

Mill winning three straight games to advance, while Fayette County posted

a 4-1 record. Eagle's Landing and Stockbridge also advance from the

south sectionals, joining Kell, Brookwood, Parkview and Collins Hill from

the north in the AAAAA state quarterfinals.

This is the second year in a row that Starr's Mill goes to Columbus,

and they make the trip this year with a 33-1 record, a 30-game winning

streak and the top ranking in the state coaches poll. Fayette County,

the defending AAAAA state champion, is 29-9 in 2003.

The Lady Panthers started the weekend in Valdosta with a 2-0 win over

Henry County. They followed that with an 8-1 win over Stockbridge, as

Brittany Matthews allowed two hits.

Rebecca Guertin capped off the weekend with a no-hitter as Starr's

Mill won 9-0 over Windsor Forest to move to the next round. Jennilee Huddleston

launched a two-run homer far over the left field fence in the contest.

The Lady Tigers opened play Friday against Brunswick and rode a six-run

explosion in the seventh inning to take a 7-1 win. Stefanie Norman doubled

home two runs in the inning, and Caroline Teubl picked up the win on the

mound with a three-hitter.

In the second game, Fayette County faced a powerful Eagle's Landing

squad and lost 2-0, meaning the Lady Tigers would have to come right back

Saturday with a win to stave off elimination. They did just that, beating

Lee County 3-0 on a Teubl shutout. Norman drove in all three runs, two

of which were scored by Katie Gaspierik.

The next game was against Tift County, who eliminated East Coweta, and

it was a close one. Fayette County prevailed 3-2, striking late once again

with two runs in the sixth. Ashley Pederson pitched a three-hitter for

the win.

Taking advantage of several Henry County errors, the Lady Tigers advanced

to state with a 3-1 win in their final game of the weekend, as Pederson

struck out seven.

The state quarterfinals begin Thursday afternoon at the Columbus Olympic

Softball Complex. After the Eagle's Landing-Collins Hill and Brookwood-Stockbridge

games at 4 p.m., the local teams take the field at 6 p.m. with Fayette

County facing Kell and Starr's Mill playing Parkview. The winners

of those two games play each other at 8 p.m.

The double-elimination tournament continues Friday morning and concludes

with Saturday's state championship game, which begins at 11 a.m.

In the AAAA state sectionals at Augusta, the Sandy Creek Lady Patriots

lost 4-0 to Greenbrier but rebounded with a 4-1 win over Thomas Central

and a 6-4 win over Ware County. They closed out their season with a 6-2

loss to Chapel Hill and compiled a 2003 record of 17-17-1.

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