East Coweta reclaims water jug and earns region's number two seed with win over Newnan

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SHARPSBURG-The Friday night Region 2-AAAAAAA battle between the East Coweta Indians and the Newnan Cougars featured a little of everything at Garland Shoemake Stadium.

The Devonte Brown and Carlos Ford show had its final regular season appearance with 235 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Indians to a 28-0 victory that improved their overall record to 8-2 and a number two seed in the region with a 4-1 mark.

They would also reclaim a water jug from the Cougars that goes to the winner of the game

Newnan, which finished the regular season with a 3-7 record, would lose quarterback KD Satterwhite due to an injury in the second quarter and be replaced by Desmond Blacksher.

Finally, in the contest known as “leave the parking lot”, a car would hit the side of a Coweta County School System bus that was serving as a shuttle between EC and Poplar Road Elementary School.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the bus accident which occurred after the game ended.

On to the game where both teams would begin with initial drives that stalled but that changed for the Indians when the began their second drive at their own 14 with 5:29 remaining in the first quarter.

Behind a pair of runs by Ford and a pair of completions by quarterback Christian Reid, the Indians moved the ball to the Cougars’ 35 when Brown took a handoff and raced all the way to the end zone for the first touchdown with under five seconds remaining.

Wyatt Palmer converted the extra point and the lead was 7-0 going into the second stanza.

In the beginning of the second quarter, the Cougars would have a three-and-out which forced a punt that was downed at the Indians’ 38.

On second-and-10, Brown took a handoff from Reid and raced 37 yards to the Newnan 25 with eight minutes remaining in the half and two plays later Ford completed the five play drive with an 11-yard run.

The extra point attempt by Palmer was successful and the Indians enjoyed a 14-0 lead with 6:39 remaining until halftime.

On the ensuing series, the Cougars appeared to be on a promising drive as Satterwhite ran for 17 yards on a keeper and AJ Robinson followed with an eight yard run to put Newnan in good field position at their own 40.

However, a four-yard loss by Mautavier Parks and a two-yard sack of Satterwhite by Marc Wilson stalled the drive and the Cougars had to punt with 5:46 remaining.

The series also meant the end of the evening for Satterwhite who was injured on the sack and never returned as Blacksher.

Satterwhite finished the game completing one pass for 12 yards and rushed seven times for 27 yards.

The Indians began the ensuing drive at their own 37 and was able to get to the Cougars’ 42 before the drive stalled and Brown had to show his versatility with a punt.

The Cougars started at their own seven yard line with 1:32 remaining in the half and after a 14-yard run by Robinson got them out of trouble, an 18-yard run followed but the ball came free and Brown returned it the other way to the Newnan 45 with 46 seconds remaining.

A penalty would start the series that was brief as the Indians ran the clock out for halftime after a short pass from Reid to Reggie Jones.

The Indians would get a chance to pad the lead in the third quarter after the Cougars fumbled the ball and Jovan Rembert recovered it at the Cougars 21.

After a two-yard run by Ford, Reid found Indians defensive whiz Jeremiah Gemmel in the middle of the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown pass with 6:40 remaining in the third and the lead was 21-0 after the extra point.

The Cougars had a chance to get on the scoreboard as Tyrell Harris recovered a fumble by Reid at midfield as the end of the third quarter drew near.

The series began with a nine-yard sack of Blacksher but Newnan recovered with a 10-yard run and a 41 yard catch and run by Woody Waters that resulted in a first and goal at the EC eight with 11:45 remaining.

However, a seven-yard loss was followed by three in completions including one on fourth down that gave the ball to the Indians with 10:40 remaining.

The Cougars threatened again on the next series with Tyriq Hussie rushing four times for 27 yards and reaching the Indians’ 37.

However, a one-yard loss and a pair of incompletions gave the Indians the ball at their 37 with a chance to give the home team one more thrill.

DeVante Ford ran for two yards then Carlos Ford took the handoff and raced past the Newnan defense for 61 yards and the final touchdown of the night that was aided by a push by an enemy defender with 3:44 left.

Tough loss ends successful season for Lady Indians

The 2016 postmortem

The 2016 season came to an end for the East Coweta Lady Indians in a 1-0 loss to Mill Creek.

The Lady Indians finished fourth in the state among 7A schools with a 30-6 record. Yes, your erstwhile softball journalist had to hold the Region 2-7A trophy.

An errant throw on a hot Saturday at the Elite Eight Tournament in Columbus brought an end to a promising 2016 season for the East Coweta Lady Indians.

Playing to a scoreless tie through seven innings, the eighth inning started under the International Tie Breaker rule prompting a base runner to start at second base.

A sacrifice bunt was laid down and the throw went into right field allowing the winning run came home for the Mill Creek Lady Hawks.

As the case has been over two seasons, Kelley Lynch turned in a solid pitching performance with a three-hit, 10 strikeout performance and nearly gave the Lady Indians a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when she hit what appeared to be a solo home run.

However, she and the Lady Indians were denied as the ball was caught over the fence by the Lady Hawks left fielder.

Mill Creek would defeat Lassiter 5-0 in the third place game and fall 6-2 to North Gwinnett in the 7A final.

While the results of the game that ended shortly before one o'clock resonated during the day on Saturday, a youthful Lady Indians squad had a season in which many in the state would like to trade for with a 30-6 ledger.

Featuring six freshman, three sophomores and four juniors to join lone senior Lindsay “Lulu” Warren, EC would face 17 teams (excluding state playoff opponents) that participated in the state playoffs with eight teams joining them in Columbus.

The record was 19-4 overall and 7-3 against the Elite Eight participants.

With the precision of a drill team, the Lady Indians marched in the
parade of teams at the Elite Eight in Columbus. 

After a 12-0 win over Alexander in the season opener, EC followed with an 11-2 win over the Spalding Tigers in the Georgia Dugout Club Tournament.

The Lady Indians overcame a 2-0 deficit with a run in the bottom of the second followed by a six-run third and a four run fourth as Caison Byars had a two-run home run, Krys Odum had a two-run double, Ashlynn Gunter had two hits and scored three runs in the game.

A 12-0 four inning win over Northside-Warner Robins followed as Carmen Prior’s two-run single as part of a five run first while Gunter had a three-run home run and Lynch had a three run double.

Next in the tournament came the Effingham County Lady Rebels who had a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh when Olivia Davis had a run scoring double and Rachel Vaughan drilled a three-run home run to give the Lady Indians a 6-4 win.

Mary Persons also proved formidable with a 4-3 lead in the fifth when EC scored twice and had a run in the sixth to come away with a 6-4 win but would conclude the GDC event with a 3-1 loss to Columbus.

EC took out their frustrations on McIntosh after the loss in an 8-1 win as freshman Aniston Wright had a pair of doubles while fellow youngster Hanna Miller had two hits, two RBIs and three runs scored.

After a 2-0 loss to Heard County, EC went on an 11-game winning streak that started in McDonough against longtime rival Union Grove.

Vaughan dominated the Lady Wolverines in an 8-0 win as she allowed two hits while Miller hit a three-run home run hard, Warren had a two-run single and Caroline Lively had a double and an RBI.

In one of the “blowout” games during the season, Prior had an inside-the-park home run while Madison Lecuona scored twice and AJ Estrada had a single and a walk in a 19-0 victory over Pebblebrook.

Another “blowout” victory during the streak occurred at Wheeler (20-2) where Ansley Duffey had her first varsity hit with an RBI single while Davis had four RBIs, three runs scored and her first varsity home run.

The 11-game streak ended with an 11-8 loss to Northside-Columbus in the Grayson High tournament at Parkview with the last loss before Columbus occurring in a game against Buford that featured a quality pitching duel between Lynch and Lady Wolves pitcher Logan Caymol.

Lynch was working on a no-hitter until the top of the seventh when she surrendered the first Buford single of the game that also became the only run of the contest after an infield error.

Both pitchers would allow one hit and record 10 strikeouts in the game.

The Lady Indians recovered from the losses to Northside and Buford with a 3-0 win over Alexander as Lynch allowed one hit over seven innings, recorded 14 strikeouts and drilled a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Junior "showoff" Rachel Vaughan lost one game all season
and had several big outings including a 5-1 win over Lowndes
where she allowed four hits and recorded nine strikeouts.

Two days later, the Northgate Lady Vikings traveled down Highway 154 for a rematch of a 1-0 EC victory but Vaughan had no problem on the pitching rubber for the Lady Indians as she tossed a three-hitter while contributing three RBIs at the plate in an 8-0 win.

The next day was Senior Night as the Lady Indians honored lone “graybeard” Warren by defeating the Chapel Hill Lady Panthers 10-0 as Vaughan allowed six hits over four and one-third innings.

Freshmen contributed in the win as Byars and Miller combined for three hits, three runs scored and two RBIs while Prior had two hits, scored a run and an RBI.

With the regular season completed, the Region 2-7A Tournament was next and after a 15-0 win over Westlake that included a grand slam by Wright, EC was able to defeat Newnan by scores of 7-1 and 8-0 to claim the trophy and prepare for state.

Providing the opposition in round one for the Lady Indians was the Woodstock Lady Wolves in Sharpsburg and the former went to work almost immediately as they advanced in a sweep by scores of 8-0 and 12-1.

In game one, Miller had a two-run home run while Vaughan had a pair of run scoring singles to support the two hit pitching of Lynch who recorded seven strikeouts.

In the nightcap, Warren had a two-run triple while Gunter and Lynch each had three hits in support of Vaughan who allowed two hits over seven innings.

East Coweta had their ticket to Columbus stamped in the next round as they swept the Collins Hill Lady Eagles by scores of 6-1 and 7-1.

Warren had a two-run double while Prior scored twice in the first game while the latter had a two-run double to help lead the way in the second game and it was on to Columbus.

The ITB would rear its ugly head in the opening game as the Lady Indians scored twice in the top of the eighth inning to defeat South Forsyth 2-0 as Davis and Lynch had RBIs.

In the next game, EC would have a 3-1 lead over Lassiter going to the bottom of the seventh inning but the Lady Trojans tied the game with a pair of runs despite the best effort of Warren to make a game ending catch in center field.

Under the ITB, Lassiter had a runner move to second who advanced to third on a passed ball before coming home on a sacrifice fly to left field.

The Lady Indians avoided elimination in the loser’s bracket game as Vaughn dominated the Lowndes Vikettes 5-1 allowing four hits and recording a season high nine strikeouts while Lively had an RBI single and Lynch hit a solo home run.

Saturday would come and as radio commentator Paul Harvey used to say at the conclusion of his show “you know the rest of the story”.

However, a newstory remains to be written in 2017.

The team and where some could be heading

This was the list of who was on the final varsity roster this season. Several of the girls have committed to the college of their choice and that is listed by their names.

5-Caison Byars
14-Ashleigh Campbell
3-Olivia Davis (committed to Georgia State)
16-Ansley Duffey (aka the Duffinator)
23-AJ Estrada
21-Ashlynn Gunter (committed this week to Young Harris)
25-Caroline Lively
10-Kelley Lynch (committed to Auburn)
8-"Hard Hittin'" Hanna Miller
17-Kristen Odum
11-Carmen Prior
1-Lindsay "Lulu" Warren (aka "the Senior" and "the graybeard") (committed to Georgia State, will be signing soon)
20-Aniston Wright (committed to Georgia State)
15-Rachel Vaughan (committed to South Carolina)

The 17 teams that played EC and also in the state playoffs and/or the Elite Eight 

The 17 teams on the East Coweta Lady Indians 2016 were as follows:

Alexander (12-0, 3-1) played in the Elite EIght

Effingham County (6-4) Eliminated in second round.

Mary Persons (6-4) Eliminated in first round.

Columbus (1-3) Eliminated in second round.

Westlake (10-0, 15-0) Eliminated in first round of 7A state playoffs

Heard County (0-2) Elite Eight

Union Grove (8-0, 8-0) Elite Eight

Whitewater (5-0) Elite Eight

Starr's Mill (10-2) Elite Eight

Newnan (3-1, 7-1, 10-1) Eliminated in the first round by Lassiter.

Wheeler (20-2) Eliminated in first round.

Northgate (1-0, 8-0) Eliminated in second round.

Shiloh (7-4) Eliminated in first round by eventual 7A champion North Gwinnett.

West Laurens (8-4) Eliminated in second round

Northside Columbus (8-11) Elite Eight

Buford (0-1) Won state title

Chapel Hill Home 10-0  Elite Eight

The record overall: 19-4, Against Elite Eight: 7-3

Notes: Woodstock and Collins Hill were playoff games and are not included. Pike County was on the original schedule but was cancelled due to rain. They also made the Elite EIght but are not included in record.

2016 postmortem to run Thursday

A review of the 2016 season will run in Thursday evening's blog. 
Followers can begin looking for it after 6:00 pm. 
Also if anybody has committed somewhere send an email to slcrosby10@gmail.com and their name will run.
Try to get the names in by 5:30. 

East Coweta stays alive with win over Lowndes, plays Mill Creek Saturday morning

COLUMBUS-The East Coweta Lady Indians lived to fight another day Friday night as Rachel Vaughan had a four hit, nine strikeout effort that ended the season for the Lowndes Vikettes by a 4-1 decision in the 7A Elite Eight Championship Tournament at South Commons Complex.

The Lady Indians will take a 30-5 record into an elimnation game against the Mill Creek Lady Hawks Saturday morning at 11 am while the Vikettes finished the season 28-6.

After they held Vikettes in the top of the first, the Lady Indians took the lead in the bottom of the frame as Lindsay “Lulu” Warren singled, stole second and scored on a one out single by Kelley Lynch.

In the bottom of the second inning, Ashlynn Gunter led off with a single but was called out for leaving the base early when Caison Byars appeared to receive a walk on ball four.

Byars would reach base on a throwing error that allowed her to reach second before scoring when Caroline Lively singled between first and second.

The bottom of the fifth became pivotal for EC as they added two more runs to take a 4-0 lead.

Lynch led off with a shot over the left field fore a solo home run and Vaughan followed by reaching on a walk.

After courtesy runner Krys Odum was sacrificed to second, Gunter lined a single to right for the RBI and the lead was 4-0.

The cushion was enough for Vaughan was in complete control throughout the contest and was getting strong plays behind her like a double play in the top of the first inning when Olivia Davis caught a line drive at second and ran to the base to complete a double play.

It also didn;t hurt for Vaughan to have the strikeout ball working as she recorded nine strikeouts against the Vikettes.

She lost her bid for a shutout in the top of the fifth inning on a pair of doubles, but she pitched around the hits to closeout the game and the Vikettes' season.

Lynch and Gunter each had two singles to lead the offense.

Now the bid for a state title continues...

Lady Indians drop eighth inning decision, will play elimination game Friday night

COLUMBUS-A passed ball and a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning led to the winning run to score as the Lassiter Lady Trojans defeated the East Coweta Lady Indians 4-3 in the winner’s bracket game of the 7A Elite Eight Tournament played Friday at South Commons Complex.

The Lady Indians fell to 29-5 with the loss and will face either Parkview or Lowndes in a 7 PM elimination contest tonight while Lassiter (27-5) will play tomorrow morning against an unknown opponent.

The game was tied at 3-3 when the inning began with  Piper Vichales on second under the International Tie Breaker rule.

The pitch from EC starter Lynch got away from catcher Caroline Lively allowing Vichales to advance to third before Avery Webster hit a flyball to Hanna Miller in left field.

Miller came home with the throw but it was offline as Vichales touched the plate.

The game was scoreless going into the bottom of the third inning until a throwing error allowed a Lassiter base runner to score but the Lady Indians took advantage of fielding miscues in the top of the fifth inning with three runs to take the lead.

Lively and Carmen Prior reached on force plays but Lindsay “Lulu” Warren had some two out magic in her bat as she singled to left to score courtesy runner Krys Odum and a throwing error on the play allowed Prior to come home and Warren to advance to third.

Davis followed with a single and the faithful appeared confident with the lead and Lynch on the pitching rubber.

The Lady Indians had a chance to add to the lead in the top of the sixth as Rachel Vaughan singled, Aniston Wright reached on an error and Ashlynn Gunter reached on a walk.

However, Lassiter reliever Piper Wagner was able to keep EC off the board as she induced an infield fly and a pair of force outs including one at home plate.

The bottom of the seventh inning started well for the Lady Indians as Lynch induced a groundout and after allowing a single, she was able to record another strikeout.

Lynch appeared to have the final out as a ground ball was hit to Gunter at third base but the umpire ruled the batter safe and the winning run was coming to the plate.

Blake Neieman hit a deep flyball to Warren in center field and the latter appeared to making a great catch to end the game.

However, as Warren made the play, she crashed into the temporary fence, forcing the ball to come loose and two runners came home to tie the game at 3-3.

Lynch, who allowed five hits and five walks, recorded the final out with her 12th strikeout of the game to force extra inning.

The Lady Indians were unable to score in the top of the eighth inning as Vaughan could only reach third.

Davis, Lynch provided scoring while Lynch records 15Ks in win

Kelley Lynch and Olivia Davis were the "dynamic duo" in the top of the eighth
inning for the East Coweta Lady Indians as each had an RBI that led to the 2-0 win.
Lynjch was also solid on the mound allowing two hits and recording 15 strikeouts.

COLUMBUS- Olivia Davis and Kelley Lynch accounted for the only runs of the game Thursday and the latter tossed a two-hitter with 15 strikeouts as the East Coweta Lady Indians defeated South Forsyth War Eagles 2-0 in a first round game of the AAAAAAA Elite eight state tournament at the South Commons Complex.

The Lady Indians improved to 29-4 and will face the Lassiter Lady Trojans in a Friday morning winner’s bracket game at 9 AM while the War Eagles fell to 18-13 and will face the Lambert Lady Longhorns in a loser’s bracket game at 1:00.

Should the Lady Indians win, they would not have to play again until Saturday morning at 9:00, however, a loss would mean a possible 5:00 contest with the winner of Lambert/South Forsyth. 

The game was scoreless through the first seven innings as Lynch and Katherine Huey were getting outs when needed particularly Huey who retired the Lady Indians in order once in the game.

Meanwhile, the War Eagles’ batters were befuddled by Lynch as she seven of nine batters via strikeout despite a suspect strike zone that led to a number of full counts.

In the top of the eighth inning, Carmen Prior was on second as the base runner under the International Tie Breaker rule with Lindsay “Lulu” Warren coming to the plate to start the frame.

After fouling off the first pitch, Warren laid down a sacrifice bunt that was mishandled in the infield and Prior was able to moved to third with the potential go ahead run.

Meanwhile, Warren was able to reach first on the play with Davis coming to the plate.

During the at the at bat Warren easily reached second with a stolen base then Davis lined a shot off the War eagles’ shortstop allowing Prior to score the first run of the game while Warren took third on the play.

Lynch was at bat when Davis stole second base and on an 0-2 offering from Huey, Lynch hit a groundball to short and Lynch was barely cut down at first but on the play Warren came home with an insurance run and Davis went to third.

The inning would come to an end as Davis was caught in a rundown and tagged at third and the stage was set for the Lady Indians to pick up the win.

In the bottom of the frame, the War Eagles had a runner on second base with Huey coming to the plate.

As in the case of the early innings, Lynch befuddled the War Eagle hitters as she retired Huey and pinch hitter Ginny Grice on strikes.

Lynch didn’t need a strikeout on the final out  but she did record an assist as Emily Harris hit a ball back to the pitching rubber and the sophomore tossed the ball to Rachel Vaughan at first to end the game.

The Lady Indians will face a Lassiter Lady Trojan squad that improved to 27-5 defeating the Lambert Lady Longhorns (25-4) 6-2 in the earlier first round game.

Lassiter scored three runs in the top of the third inning on an outfield error and two run home run before adding to the lead later in the game.

Muscogee Madness to begin Thursday afternoon

East Coweta junior Rachel Vaughan shown mugging for the camera after the Lady Indians won the
Region 2-AAAAAAA Tournament. The pitcher/first baseman is normally all business on the field and will demonstrate that style Thursday in the Elite Eight Tournament.  .

The trophy does not have a name like those rewarded in the National Football League, the National  Basketball Association or the famed Lord Stanley’s Cup in the National Hockey League.

However, for 64 high school softball teams in the state of Georgia, the stakes are considered to be as high and the eight winners of this trophy on Saturday can be identified under two words.

State Champion.

Beginning Thursday, the East Coweta Lady Indians would like to be one of the surviving eight as they will be appearing in their 11th Elite Eight Tournament in 13 years at the South Commons Complex.

Last season, the Lady Indians finished third while in 2008 they finished the season as the runnerup to Mill Creek who is also in the AAAAAAA division of the tournament.

As the bus leaves Sharpsburg, they will face a number of tough teams who have made the trek to Columbus before.

The first team that is standing in the way is the South Forsyth War Eagles in a contest beginning at 4:00 on Thursday with a Friday battle with either Lambert or Lassiter in the double elimination event.

After sweeping Collins Hill, the Lady Indians enter the first game with a 28-4 record while the War Eagles come into the first round game with a 18-12 record after taking two out of three games in a series against Kennesaw. Mountain.

The two teams met last October in the Elite Eight with the Lady Indians coming away with a 6-3 victory as Kelley Lynch tossed a seven-hitter while also hitting a home run.

The loss ended the season for South Forsyth.

The Bracket

In their series with KM, the War Eagles needed to come back from a 5-2 deficit in the seventh when they rallied with four runs before winning the deciding game 14-8 in extra innings.

Among their leading players are senior pitcher Katherine Huey, junior infielder Jordyn Harris and Sarah Womack.

In the KM series, Harris drove home the winning run in the second game while Huey was the winning pitcher in the contest.

Harris was selected as player of the year in 2015 by the Forsyth News along with a number of other honors after a batting average of .446 with 18 extra base hits and setting three team records while leading the War Eagles to the 2015 Elite Eight.

Harris was 1-for-3 in the 2015 game between EC while Huey pitched all seven innings allowing 11 hits.

In terms of common opponents, both have faced Buford (both teams lost) and Woodstock (EC swept them in the first round series while SF lost to them).

Regardless of Thursday’s outcome, one will face Lassiter while the other will face Lambert with the winner’s bracket game starting at 9:00 am and the loser’s bracket game starting at 1:00 pm.

The Lassiter Lady Trojans come into the tournament for the fifth time in seven years with a 25-5 record after state playoff series wins over Newnan and Grayson.

Among the leading players for the Lady Trojans are senior pitcher Piper Wagner who tossed a six-hitter against the Lady Cougars in a 4-3 10 inning win that also saw her record 10 strikeouts.

Another leader is Blake Neleman who held the Lady Cougars to three hits while recording 14 strikeouts in a 7-2 first game win in that series where she hit a home run.

Neieman also hit a home run in the second game of that series.

One other key player for Lassiter is Shannon Antonini who also hit a home run in the Newnan series and was an all-region player in 2015.

Lassiter faced EC in the first round of the Elite Eight in October of 2012.

Meanwhile, the Lambert Lady Longhorns come in at 25-3 after cruising through series wins over Lakeside-Dekalb and Hillgrove by a cumulative score of 38-0.

Like most teams, the Lady Longhorns have an ace in Kassidy Krupit and someone who can go yard in Marissa Guimbarda who has hit 18 home runs going into the tournament.

Guimbarda hit three home runs in the series with Hillgrove while Krupit tossed all 12 innings in the series without allowing a run and recording nine strikeouts.

The Lady Longhorns and Lady Indians have never met.

Lambert and Lassiter will meet at 2:00 prior to the EC-South Forsyth game

A little EC championship tournament trivia

What do Heard, Pike, Northside-Columbus, Buford, Starr's Mill, Whitewater, Union Grove,Alexander and Chapel Hill have in common?
They were on the 2016 schedule (Pike was cancelled due to rain) and all are going to be in Columbus for the tournament with Chapel Hill coming in as a 2015 champion.
How did the Lady Indians do in this gauntlet?
Not bad as they had a record of 7-3 with Columbus being the only other EC blemish on the 2016 schedule.

Pre-tournament report to run Wednesday

 

Preview in the blog Wednesday

Your favorite blog will be attempting to preview the 2016 GHSA Elite Eight Tournament this Wednesday evening.
The tournament will begin Thursday in Columbus.
There will be a general preview as well as an interesting did you know factoid which could make you go hmm or make you go "so what".
Please read it and also look for a possible special announcement at the end of the piece.
If you have something I should add, please email me at slcrosby10@gmail.com preferably by 4:00 so I can include it.
The piece should be ready for posting around 6 and will run shortly thereafter.

EC headed to Elite Eight again after sweep of Collins HIll

It will be on the road again for the East Coweta Lady Indians
as they will be headed to the Elite Eight in Columbus for the
11th time in 12 years.

SHARPSBURG-The Franklin Deloach Travel Agency will be making another reservation to Columbus as his East Coweta Lady Indians advanced to the GHSA Elite Eight after a sweep of the Collins Hill Lady Eagles Wednesday in their second round AAAAAAA state softball playoff series.

In game one, Kelley Lynch allowed three hits and recorded 11 strikeouts in a 6-1 win for the Lady Indians while going 3-for-4 at the plate in support of Rachel Vaughan in a 7-2 win in the nightcap.

The Lady Indians will take a 30-4 record into the first round of the Elite Eight while the Lady Eagles, winners of several state championships during the 2000’s finish the season with a 17-18 record.

The opponent for EC is scheduled to be the winner of the series between Kennesaw Mountain and South Forsyth who will play a deciding game on Thursday.
The opener saw a scoreless first inning but EC changed that in the bottom of the second inning as Vaughan opened the frame by getting hit by a pitch and advancing to second on a wild pitch and scoring on a single to right by Ashlynn Gunter.

The Lady Indians added to the lead in the bottom of the third inning as Carmen Prior walked and Lindsay “Lulu” Warren singled before Olivia Davis moved them into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt.

Lynch followed by aiding her own cause with a single that scored Prior and Warren to third who came home as Lynch got into a rundown between second and first.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Lady Indians added another run as Prior reached on a walk and advanced to second before coming home on a two out single by Vaughan that gave them a 4-0 lead.

For five innings, Lynch was on her game with a no-hitter with batters reaching on a couple of fielding miscues and a hit batter.

Collins Hill ended the no-no in the top of the sixth inning as Jessica Neadow reached on a leadoff double and came home with their only run on a one out single to left by Nicaiya Madison.

Lindsay "Lulu" Warren had a
two-run double in the first game.

The Lady Indians answered in the bottom of the sixth inning as Gunter was hit by a pitch and after moving to second on a groundout, Caroline Lively singled and Prior was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Warren, playing in her last game in Sharpsburg, flirted with her first varsity home run as she lined a flyball to left center field that narrowly missed as the ball grazed off of the fence and became a two-run double.

Lynch would allow a pair of baserunners in the top of the seventh inning but they were sandwiched between a pair of strikeouts and a groundout that ended the contest.

In the nightcap, the Lady Indians were the visitors on the their home field but that didn’t appear to be a problem as Warren opened the game by reaching on an outfield error, stealing second and was able to advance to third on a single by Lynch before scoring on a groundout by Vaughan.

In the top of the third inning, the Lady Indians added to the lead as Davis reached on a one out single and stole second before scoring on a double by Lynch.

The Lady Eagles cut into the lead in the bottom of the inning with a run but the Lady Indians came back in the top of the fourth inning with three runs and a 5-1 lead.

Gunter reached on a leadoff double and after one out, moved to third as Lively singled and moved to second on the play.

Prior followed with a two-run double and would advance to third on a wild pitch before scoring on a sacrifice fly to left field by Davis.

The Lady Eagles came back in the bottom of the frame with a run but once again the Lady Indians answered as they added two more runs in the top of the fifth inning.

Lynch reached on a walk and Vaughan followed with a single but a popfly that turned into a double play threatened to keep the frame scoreless.

However, Gunter reached on a walk before a wild pitch allowed Lynch to score and a throwing error allowed the former to come home for the final run of the contest.

The scoring margin allowed Vaughan to pitch her normal game as she scattered 11 hits over her seven inning stint.

The Lady Eagles tried to rally in the bottom of the seventh inning with two runners on base and one out but Vaughan overcame the situation as a line drive to Davis at second base and a groundout to Ansley Duffey at first base ended the contest.

Six runs in fifth allow Northgate to advance in AAAAAA state playoffs

The Lady Vikings did not lose as they were "visitors" on their
home field in the 6-1 victory

In a span of four innings Thursday, the theme of the deciding game of the AAAAAA playoff series between the Northgate Lady Vikings and the Chattahoochee Lady Cougars seemed different for both clubs.

For the Lady Vikings, starting pitcher Brittany Trammell kept her team in the game while Lady Cougar hurler Samantha Richards successfully played the game of bend but don’t break as Northgate was leaving runners on base.

Chattahoochee saw that strategy fall apart in the top of the fifth inning as the Lady Vikings scored all of their runs in the frame to come from behind and emerge with a 6-1 victory that will allow them to advance to the next round of the state playoffs.

The Lady Vikings improved to 19-13-1 and will travel to Conyers next week to face Heritage while the Lady Cougars fell to 23-8 on the season.

Brittany Trammell scattered nine hits in seven innings and
kept the Northgate Lady Vikings in the game until their
fifth inning comeback.

Northgate, who was the visitor on its own field, threatened to take an early lead as Charla Echols opened the game with a single and with one out Trinity Ingleston singled and Kelsey Williston walked to load the bases.

However, Richards did not break as she got an infield pop and a groundout to end the threat.

Chattahoochee took the lead in the bottom of the frame as Kelly House reached on a bunt single, advanced to second on a sacrifice and scored on a double to left center by Richards.

Richards had to survive the top of the second inning with runners on base and escaped then experienced the same fate in the third as the Lady Vikings had two runners on base with one out.

In the top of the fourth inning, Liz Sebastian led off with a walk and after one out Echols received an intentionally unintentional walk but again Richards get the Lady Vikings off of the scoreboard as she induced another infield pop and strikeout that left the runners stranded.

In the game overall, the Lady Vikings left 13 runners on base in seven innings.

Meanwhile, the Trammell plan of keeping her team in the game was working as she retired the side in order in the bottom of the second and got out of a bases loaded, one out situation

Trouble in the inning began to fade as Sebastian made big catch in right field and threw a strike to Echols at the plate and then the inning ended as a flyball was hit to Karlee Parrott in left field.

Sara Turi gave Northgate a 3-1 lead with a three-run shot
over the fence in the fifth.

Richards finally broke in the fifth as Williston led off with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice by Parrott then Alissa Bolinger reached on a single that brought Sara Turi to the plate.

Turi applied the hammer that broke the Lady Cougars as she drilled a 2-2 offering from Richards over the left center field fence and the Lady Vikings had a 3-1 lead.

After a strikeout, the Lady Vikings added to the scoreboard as Ashley Kent singled while Echols and Caitlyn Cain reached on walks to load the bases for Ingleston who got the she pitch she wanted and drilled it to left center field for a bases clearing triple.

Ingleston’s triple caused a pitching change as Richards was relieved on the pitching rubber by Jordan Campagnolo who induced an infield pop to end the frame but the damage was done.

Ingleston was 2-for-3 in the game with a walk and she was hit by a pitch.

In the bottom of the fifth, Trammell allowed a single but the runner would be eliminated as a base running move proved costly as a 6-3 groundout became a 6-3-5 double play as Bolinger took a throw at third from Ingleston at first.

After allowing another single, Trammell induced a flyball that ended the frame.

After being retired in order in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Lady Cougars tried to rally but Trammell ended the threat as she recorded a strikeout, induced a pop and saw the game end on a flyball to Sebastian in right field.

In seven innings Trammell was effective by scattering nine hits, allowing no walks and recording two strikeouts while her defense was solid including Sebastian who had four putouts in right including the game clincher.

EC advances to second round with sweep over Woodstock behind pitching and hitting

SHARPSBURG-Strong pitching and solid hitting were the key ingredients for the East Coweta Lady Indians Wednesday night as they swept the Woodstock Lady Wolverines in a first round series of the AAAAAAA state softball playoffs.

In game one, Kelley Lunch tossed a two-hitter with seven strikeouts while Ashlynn Gunter had three hits and four others had two hits as the Lady Indians were 8-0 winners in six inning while Rachel Vaughan tossed a two-hitter while three teammates had at least two hits in a 12-1 victory in the nightcap.

The Lady Indians improve to 26-4 on the season and will host either Archer or Collins Hill who split the first two games of their series Wednesday and will play the third game Thursday.

In the opener, the Lady Indians got on the board in the bottom of the first inning as Olivia Davis reached on a one out single, stole second and scored on an error.

Davis was responsible for the second run of the game as she reached on a one out double and scored on a two out single to right by Vaughan.

Featured in a photo with EC assistant Brandon Blair, the trio of Olivia Davis,
Ashlynn Gunter and Kelley Lynch (left to right) were among the leaders in the
sweep of Woodstock as they combined to go 14-for-23 with 11 runs scored and
six RBIs in the two games. Lynch also tossed a two-hitter in game one.

The lead increased to 4-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning as Ashlynn Gunter led off with a double and Hanna Miller followed by launching a shot over the fence for a two-run home run.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Lady Indians used two out magic to account for their scoring as Gunter and Miller singled and both came home as Caison Byars came off the bench to drill a two run double.

The game ended in the bottom of the sixth inning with nobody out as Lindsay “Lulu” Warren and Davis reached on back-to-back walks and after Lynch singled to load the bases, Vaughan decided the outcome with a single of her own.

After a 20 minute break, the Lady Indians took the lead in the second game as Lynch reached on a two out double and scored on a single by Aniston Wright.

After being held off the board in the top of the second inning, the Lady Indians took a 2-0 lead in the third as Davis walked, stole second and scored on a single by Gunter.

Gunter was 6-for-7 at the plate in the two games with two runs scored.

The Lady Indians began to pull away in the top of the fourth inning as Caroline Lively reached on leadoff single, Carmen Prior walked and Warren reached base on an infield error to load the bases for Davis.

On the first pitch she saw, Davis drilled a two-run double to left field and scored a run of her own on a sacrifice fly to center field by Vaughan.

More runs came home in the top of the fifth inning Gunter doubled, Miller walked and after two outs, Warren drilled a two-run triple to center field.

A 7-0 lead grew by a run in the top of the sixth inning as Vaughan reached on a one single and after the second out of the frame, courtesy runner Krys Odum came home as Gunter drilled a run scoring double to left field.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Lady Indians hoped to end the game on the mercy rule but a pair of infield errors accounted for the Lady Wolverines’ lone run of the evening and the margin was 8-1 as the game went into the seventh inning.

The Lady Indians responded in the top of the seventh inning as they scored four runs for the game’s final margin.

With one out, Prior doubled, Warren walked and Davis followed with a single that scored Prior and allowed her to move to second on the play.

Davis was 4-for-7 at the plate in the two games with six runs scored and three RBIs.

Lynch who was 3-for-5 at the plate, doubled to right field which brought Warren and Davis plateward to give EC an 11-1 and for good measure, Byars came off the bench again and narrowly missed a home run but had to settle for a run scoring double to center field.

The bottom of the frame ended quietly as first baseman Ansley Duffey handled all three putouts to end the contest.

In going the distance, Vaughan allowed the two hits and recorded four strikeouts as her defense made plays behind her.