Vaughan pitches, hits EC into the 'ship

Rachel Vaughan was mugging in front of the camera in
this 2016 file photo but she was all business Friday
night with two innings of solid relief and the game winning
hit against Etowah.

COLUMBUS-Rachel Vaughan summed it up the best as her single in the bottom of the seventh inning scored Kenadie Cooper from second to give the East Coweta Lady Indians a 3-2 victory over the Etowah Lady Eagles Friday in the semifinals of the AAAAAAA Elite Eight Tournament at South Commons Softball Complex.

"It was a good team effort tonight," the senior said. "I just put the ball in play. Kelley (Lynch) and Ashlynn (Gunter) got on base."

With one out, Lynch hit a flyball to right field that appeared to be the second out of the frame, but the ball popped out of the glove and became a two-base error as Lynch was able to get to second base on the play.

Cooper was sent into the game as a pinch runner and Gunter followed and was able to coax a walk from Lady Eagle pitcher Kinsey Norton to set the stage for Vaughan.

Vaughan, who pitched the last two innings for the Lady Indians, responded by hitting a 2-1 offering past the shortstop and the speedy Cooper raced around the bases and was able to slide home ahead of the throw for the winning run.

The win allows EC to enter the 9:00 championship game Saturday with a 35-0 record against either Archer or Etowah.

The two teams were facing each other in a late night contest determined by impending rains.

Etowah (24-5) had a chance to get on the board first in the top of the second as the first two batters reached but Lynch had a pair of strikeouts sandwiches a popfly to Gunter at third to end the threat.

In the bottom of the frame, EC was able to take an early lead as Gunter led off the bottom of the second with a walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Vaughan and score on a two out double by Caison Byars.

Byars would give the Lady Indians a 2-0 lead as she came home on a double to right center by Caroline Lively.

The Lady Indians had a pair of opportunities to add to the lead but Nelson was able to make the out pitch that stalled the chances and gave her team a chance to rally.

The Lady Eagles was able to rally in the top of the fifth inning as Skylar Wallace walked and with two outs was able to score in front of a shot to left field by Emilie Watson and the game was tied at 2-2.

Vaughan took over for Lynch in the top of the sixth inning and had a little trouble as the Lady Eagles had the bases loaded and one out.

However, Vaughan showed determination and was able to leave the runners stranded as she able to induce a force play at home and a strikeout the retired the side in order in the top of the seventh with three swinging strikeouts to set the stage for the bottom of the frame.

As for reaching the championship game in her senior year, Vaughan was able to put her views into perspective.

"It hasn't kicked in yet but it will later," she said. "As for it being my last game, I plan to go out with a bang and hope we can finish the drill."

She will get her chance Saturday morning as the Lady Indians look to finish ahead of the rain.

EC advances to Friday showdown with Etowah after two wins on Thursday

COLUMBUS-The East Coweta Lady Indians began their quest for a state championship Thursday with a psir of victories on the opening day of the 2017 AAAAAAA Elite Eight Tournament at South Commons Softball Complex.

In the opener, Kelley Lynch allowed an infield single but recorded 13 strikeout in an 8-0 five inning victory over the Archer Lady Tigers and collected their 34th win of the season with a 6-1 victory over Kennesaw Mountain in the nightcap.

The Lady Indians will face the Etowah Lady Eagles in a Friday nigh contest at 6:00 with the winner advancing to the championship game on Saturday.

Etowah defeated Lowndes 6-2 to advance to the Friday showdown.

In the opener, EC scored four runs in bottom of the first as Lilly Agan tripled and came home on a single by Olivia Davis who stole second, moved to third base on a wild pitch and came home on a single by Lynch.

The Lady Indians took a 4-0 lead at the end of the frame as Ashlynn Gunter drilled a shot over the left field fence for a two-run home run.

The score held at 4-0 despite the Lady Indians attempting to add to the margin but Lady Tiger pitcher Kaylinn Berry was able to get the pitch need for the third out in the second and third innings.

However, Berry got into trouble in the bottom of the fourth as the Lady Indians added four more runs for the final margin.

Agan singled and advanced after Davis reached on an error and was able to score after a one out single by Gunter.

Vaughan followed the Gunter single by drilling a shot over the fence in center field for a three-run home run and victory was in hand as Lynch breezed through the top of the fifth inning with a pair of strikeouts and a ground out.

The nightcap did not start as easily as the morning contest as KM had the bases loaded with two outs but Vaughan was able to get of the situation with the second of nine strikeouts the senior lefty recorded.

In the top of the fourth inning, the scoreless tie was broken as Aniston Wright reached on a force play and moved to second on a sacrifice by Caison Byars and came home on a single to center field by Carmen Prior.
Prior scored the second run of the frame as she stole second and came home on double by Agan.
The Lady Mustangs got one of the runs back in the bottom of the frame as Boo Huddleston singled and scored on a groundout.
The 2-1 margin increased in the top of the fifth inning as Gunter reached on a one out single, stole second and after Vaughan walked and the second out of the frame was recorded, Wright hit a 2-0 offering over the fence for a three-run and a 5-1 lead.

Byars followed Wright's home run with a single to left field and stole second and took advantage of a throwing error by rounding the bases to the plate for the final run of the game.

The margin appeared to be enough for Vaughan who had the strikeout ball working as well as getting solid defensive efforts behind her.

In the bottom ofthe seventh inning, Vaughan ran into trouble by walking the first two batters in the frame necesitating a pitching change with Lynch who took over by striking out the first batters and ending the game with a flyball to Byars in left field.

The quest for the gold continues Thursday morning for EC

For the East Coweta Lady Indians, the pursuit for a state championship may begin Thursday morning at the Elite Eight Tournament in Columbus, but the quest for gold began sooner.
Try almost 12 months ago after the 2016 season ended with a 1-0 loss to Mill Creek in extra innings.
The Lady Indians began offseason workouts that continued into 2017 and as late July rolled around, they took the field for preseason workouts.
Next, the season began on August 11 with a 13-2 win over the Lassiter Lady Trojans in a rematch of a 2016 Elite Eight game then a 3-0 win over Hillgrove on that same evening.

After 77 days since those victories along with 30 more, the 2017 quest for gold began with a bus ride Wednesday afternoon from school and will get underway on the field with a 9:00 game against the Archer Lady Tigers in the first game of the AAAAAAA tournament at the South Commons Softball Complex.
In the event of an EC win, the Lady Indians will face the winner of the contest between Kennesaw Mountain or Lambert in a Thursday night winners bracket game beginning at 7:00 otherwise it is an elimination game Friday morning at 10:00 against the loser of that matchup.
For now it is one game at a time as the Lady Indians look to meet the mantra of beating everybody on the way to the state championship that has been elusive over the past two years and that begins with the Lady Tigers.
The Archer Lady Tigers come into the tournament with a record of 22-10 overall after series wins over Norcross and 2016 champion North Gwinnett.
Among the common opponents are Hillgrove (Archer 1-1, EC 3-0) and North Gwinnett (Archer 2-2, EC 1-0).
Archer and East Coweta have met before as the Lady Indians defeated the Lady Tigers 7-4 during the Elite Eight on October 29, 2015.
In that contest,
Among the key players for head coach Eric Stoker are senior pitcher/first baseman Madison Abell, junior pitcher Kaitlin Berry, senior third baseman Terrica Williams, freshman second baseman Skylar Berkhiser, junior outfelder Kinley Stewart, freshman infielder Faith Barth and catcher Casey Sims.
Williams was recognized by the Gwinnett Diamond Club as the county's offensive player of the year after producing a .540 batting average with 12 home runs and 47 RBIs.
Barth was named to the all-county south squad in her first year by the same organization while Moore and Sims were named to the squad as honorable mentions.
Barth, who comes into the game with a .440 average broke a 1-1 tie with a grand slam and finished with five RBIs in a 7-5 victory over Grayson on September 28, and had five hits, a home run and six RBIs in a doubleheader sweep of South Gwinnett two days prior.
Her efforts garnered athlete of the week by the Gwinnett Daily Post.
As for the next tournament game...
The Kennesaw Mountain Lady Mustangs have been to Columbus on a number of occasions including 2012 runnerup under head coach Lisa Chapman who is in her 18th season and early in the season recorded her 400th win with the program.
This season, Chapman saw her Lady Mustangs begin the campaign 0-4 before starting a 22-3 streak as they enter the tournament with a 22-7 mark.
Kennesaw Mountain enters the Elite Eight after series wins over Woodstock and Camden County.
Among her key players are junior pitcher Haley Glass.
In the first round of the state playoffs, Glass came within a walk away from a perfect game last Saturday as the Lady Mustangs beat Woodstock in the deciding game of their series. She was also solid at the plate with a 2-for-3 that included a double and two RBIs.
She was honored as player-of-the-week by the Marietta Daily Journal this week.
Other key players for the Lady Mustangs are junior outfielder Mallory Parker,senior infielder Mallory Lewis, junior shortstop Hannah Forehand, Boo Huddleston and senior catcher Michy Ramos.
The last game played between the Lady Indians and Lady Mustangs was on October 26, 2013 with KM winning 3-2.
The Lambert Lady Longhorns enter the tournamofent with a record of  20-11 after series wins over Mill creek and Brookwood in the playoffs.
The Lady Longhorns met the Lady Indians in a contest played on September 1 at Home Plate in Peachtree City with EC winning by a 4-1 margin to support the pitching of Rachel Vaughan.
Lambert has since recovered from this defeat having defeated Mill Creek and Brookwood in the state playoffs.
Among the key players are pitcher Kassiday Krupit who had a home run against EC and a game winner the same night against Chapel Hill.
Krupit has also pitched all 35 innings in Lambert's playoff run.
Other key players for head coach Brooks Youngblood are senior second baseman Skylar Aledia, sophomore shortstop Brooke Miller and catcher Rachel Cowart.

The beat goes on! Lady Indians now 32-0 and off to Columbus

SHARPSBURG-To say the East Coweta Lady Indians would breeze through the AAAAAAAA playoffs on their way to Columbus may be changing their minds.
Last week, the Lady Indians defeated Peachtree Ridge by score of 3-0 and 5-0 in close outings and Wednesday evening was no exception as they had to work to sweep the Hillgrove Lady Hawks in their second round playoffs.
The first opponent is unknown at this time as Archer and North Gwinnett split the two games on Wednesday forcing a deciding game on Thursday.
In the first game, Kelley Lynch allowed runs for the first time this season, but survived the outing she and Ashlynn Gunter homered in the Lady Indians 11-6 win.
Meanwhile, Lynch hit a pair of home runs to support the pitching of Rachel Vaughan in a 7-3 win in the nightcap.
While the runs surrendered were the most this season, the victories did improve the record to 32-0 as they advanced to the Elite Eight for the 12th time in 13 years while the Lady Hawks finished with a record of 17-16.
In game one, the Lady Hawks took a 1-0 lead with one out in the top of the second inning as Laura Harris was hit by a pitch and after a groundout was able to score on a double by Ryleigh Akery.
The Lady Indians responded in the bottom of the frame as Caroline Lively reached on a one out walk and courtesy runner Kenadie Cooper was able to advance around the bases before coming home with the tying run on a two out single by Lilly Agan.
Olivia Davis reached on a walk and Lynch followed by drilling a 2-1 offering over the left field fence for a home run and a 4-1 lead for EC.
However, the Lady Hawks proved to be difficult as Lynch surrendered a double to Adara Dale and hit Mo Bastion before recording a strikeout and seeing a 2-2 offering to Avery Eidson pulled over the left field fence for a three-run shot and a 4-4 game.
The Lady Hawks took a 5-4 lead in the top of the third as Akery singled and scored on a triple by Savannah Stewart.
After Lynch retired the next three batters, the Lady Indians came back in the boto tie the game at 5-5 as Agan singled, advanced to second on an infield error and scored on a one out single by Ashlynn Gunter.
The Lady Hawks threatened to regain the lead in the top of the fifth inning with two on base and one out, but Lynch recovered and retired two of the next three batters on a flyball and a strikeout to end the threat.
In the bottom of the frame, the Lady Indians batted around and scored six times to take the lead.
With two outs, Carmen Prior doubled and scored on a single by Agan who advanced to second on the throw home and went to third on a single by Davis.
Lynch reached on a walk and on the first pitch from losing pitcher Chandler Greene, Gunter drilled a shot over left field fence for a grand slam.
Vaughan closed out the scoring for the Lady Indians when she followed with a shot over the center field fence for a solo home run.
The Lady Hawks scored a run in the top of the sixth inning to cut the margin to 11-6 but were unable to get any closer as Lynch retired batters around the baserunners that reached.
In the second game, the Lady Indians proved to be rude "visitors" as Lynch drilled a 2-1 pitch over the left field for a solo home run.
Vaughan benefited from the 1-0 lead as she retired six of 11 batters by strikeout in the first three innings.
She was responsible for the next run for EC as Lynch reached on an error and after a sacrifice bunt by Ashlynn Gunter, Vaughan recorded an RBI as she reached on a double to left center field after being announced by her brother Brookins instead of the normal announcer.
The lead was enough for Vaughan as she retired nine of the 10 batters she faced from the fourth through sixth innings.
Meanwhile, her teammates gave her plenty of cushion in the top of the seventh inning as 11 batters went to the plate and five scored to give EC a 7-0 lead.
Agan led off with a double and advanced to third on a wild pitch before scoring on a double by Davis.
Lynch followed the Davis' double by drilling a 1-1 offering over the right field fence for a two-run home run.
In her last at bat at home for the Lady Indians singled and Vaughan performed the same feat after her brother announced her name again in place of the normal announcer.
Gunter and courtesy runner Kristen Odum would score the final two Lady Indian runs as Kenadie Cooper showed she could hit as well as run with a two out single.
The game was still not over as the Lady hawks came back with a single, an infield error and a three-run home run by Eidson to cut the score to 7-3 but Vaughan demonstrated the proverbial "ice in the veins" by retiring the next three batters on groundouts to end the game.

EC improves to 30-0 after sweep of Peachtree Ridge in first round of playoffs

File photo courtesy of Nicole Vaughan

Rachel Vaughan allowed a sixth inning single and
recorded 10 strikeouts as the Lady Indians were
5-0 winners in the second game of the series.

SHARPSBURG-Pitching dictated how the first round AAAAAAA series between the East Coweta Lady Indians and Peachtree Ridge Lady Lions would end.
The Lady Indians vaunted hurlers managed to outduel those with the Lady Lions Thursday as they swept both games to advance to the second round and improve to 30-0.
In the first game, Kelley Lynch tossed a two-hitter and recorded 15 strikeouts as the Lady Indians defeated the Lady Lions 3-0.
Rachel Vaughan had another strong outing in the second game as she allowed one hit and recorded 10 strikeouts in the 5-0 decision that gave the Lady Indians the sweep and improved the overall mark to 30-0.
The Lady Indians will host a second round series next Wednesday against either Hillgrove ( a team EC defeated 3-0 on August 11) or Cherokee who begin their best of three series on Friday.
In the opener, Lynch got off to a solid start as he retired two batters on strikeout and a third on a pop to third baseman Ashlynn Gunter.
Peachtree Ridge starter Destyn Jones proved to be tough on EC as she induced three groundballs to sandwich a pair of walk in the bottom of the first inning and managed to keep them off the scoreboard in the bottom of the second despite allowing two baserunners.
The Lady Indians had a chance to get on the board in the bottom of third inning as Olivia Davis led off with an infield single, stole second and went to third when Lynch grounded out.
However, Jones tossed what looked to be a wild pitch, but catcher Riley Hudson managed to get to the loose ball and beat Davis to the plate to make the tag.
The Lady Indians finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning as Carmen Prior walked and reached second on a stolen base and advanced to third on a single by Lilly Agan.
Agan stole second and Lynch was intentionally walked for Gunter who drilled to right center for a two-run double and gave EC the lead.
Vaughan reached on a walk to load the bases and Jones was replaced on the pitching rubber by Jenna White.
In four and one-third innings, Jones allowed three hits, walked four and recorded three strikeouts.
White was able to prevent further scoring as courtesy runner Kenadie Cooper was out at the plate on a force play and Hanna Miller was retired on an infield pop.
The Lady Indians added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning as Prior reached on a one out walk, stole second and after Agan reached on an infield single, Davis lined a single that score Prior.
White again was able to prevent further damage as she retired the next two batters to end the frame, but the Lady Lions were unable to come back in the top of the seventh as they were retired in order.
In the second game,  the Lady Indians took the lead early as Davis reached on a one out walk in the top of the first and stole second before Lynch drilled a 2-2 offering from White over the left center field fence.
The Lady Lions hoped to get back into the game in the bottom of the inning as two walks sandwiched a strikeout by Vaughan.
However, they left the runners stranded as Vaughan recovered from the slow start to retire the next two batters on strikeouts.
Meanwhile, White kept her team in the game as she would go on a streak of retiring 11 of 13 batters with the other two retired on the bases.
That streak would fade away in the top of the fifth inning as Caison Byars reached on an error, stole second and scored on a triple by Prior who would come home on a wild pitch to give the Lady Indians a 4-0 lead.
After a walk to Agan, White was replaced on the pitching rubber by Ellie Lunsford who managed to induce an infield pop to end the frame.
The Lady Indians added one more run in the top of the sixth inning as Lynch and Ashlynn Gunter singled and after a solid sacrifice bunt by Vaughan, Ansley Gunter singled between shortstop and third base for an RBI as pinch runner Katie Taylor scored on the play.
Meanwhile, Vaughan had another dominating performance at work as she was getting strikeouts at a solid clip in the early innings.
A shot at a no-hitter was lost in the bottom of the sixth inning as Aleix Hudson single to center, but a ground ball was hit to Ansley Gunter at first who threw a strike to Lynch at shortstop and the latter showed off her infielder's arm with a strike to Davis who was covering first.
Vaughan manged to get through the bottom of the seventh inning as Lundsford reached on an error but was erased on a running mistake at second after a strikeout and the game ended on a ground ball to Davis who threw to first for out number three.

EC hosting Peachtree Ridge in first round of state playoffs, looks to win title and beat everybody

Photos courtesy of Barbara Lecuona

Deangelo Sanchez-EC softball
cheerleader

During the 28 game regular season, the main goal of the East Coweta Lady Indians has been to go to Columbus and return on I-185 North with a state championship as a passenger.
However, one mantra along the way for Lady Indians was #BeatEverybody as inspired by Deangelo Snachez.

Sanchez is the brother of former EC shortstop Shemiah Sanchez who is now manning the hot corner for the LSU Lady Tigers.

Early in the year, Sanchez went from being a cheerleader for the Lady Tigers during their run to the College World Series to the big cheerleader during the run of the Lady Indians.

Sanchez will now take his cheerleading skills into the AAAAAAA state playoffs as the Lady Indians host the Peachtree Ridge Lady Lions in a best of three series that will begin Thursday at 4:00.
A second game will follow and a third game (if necessary) will be played Saturday morning at 11:00 with the series advancing to the second round against either Hillgrove or Cherokee on October 18.

As for the Lady Indians’ most vociferous cheerleader will attend the series or not, Sanchez has indicated through Facebook of his intentions to not only be in attendance but in full voice for the first round and is working toward attending round two.

He is also ready to lead the chant that has made him famous among EC followers.

Beat Everybody!
Sanchez and the Lady Indian faithful will see two clubs that are opposite in a number of ways including how they arrived to this matchup.

MEETING OF THE MINDS. The East Coweta infield of (Left to right) Ashlynn Gunter, Olivia Davis, Madison Lecuona and Rachel Vaughan are having a meeting on the pitching rubber with pitcher Kelley Lynch during the recent Region 2-AAAAAAA Tournament   

The Lady Indians enter the series having beat everybody as Sanchez requested with a 28-0 mark after winning the Region 2-AAAAAAA Tournament last week with a 12-0 win over Campbell and wins over Newnan by scores of 6-0 and 3-0.

After finishing under .500 in three of the last four seasons, the Lady Lions come into the series with a record of 12-10 after finishing fifth in the Region 6-AAAAAAA Tournament.

Due to a four school membership in Region 1, an at large team and by virtue of a mathematical formula that would have made Albert Einstein, Galileo and several other intellects proud.

Under head coach Duane “Bubba” Wilson, Peachtree Ridge is currently ranked 144th by MaxPreps in the nation, 51st in Georgia and is 16th in the 7A classification.

Among the key players for Peachtree Ridge are junior infielder Aleix Hudson who is hitting..439 and hit a three-run homer in a 6-5 win over Mountain View on September 19 and junior center fielder Felise Collins who is hitting .344 and had a solo home run on September 15 against Collins Hill.

As for who the Lady Indians’ bats will face, junior hurler Jenna White comes in with seven wins and a 3.20 ERA while freshman Ellie Lunsford has two wins with a 3.28 ERA.

Among the common opponents, the Lady Lions dropped a 7-2 contest to Lambert on August 11 (a team EC defeated 4-1 on September 1 at Home Plate) and two games to defending state champion North Gwinnett by scores of 7-0 on September 6 and 15-1 on September 21.

The Lady Indians defeated the Lady Bulldogs the next evening in a tough 7-3 decision at Suwanee.
Like a number of teams forced to play tough opponents, the Lady Lions have also faced their share of teams that are still playing as well in North Gwinnett, Mill Creek, Collins Hill, ELCA and Jefferson this season.

Big plays help, hurt EC in loss to Westlake

SHARPSBURG-This season, the East Coweta Indians have managed to make the big play part of arsenal that has resulted in four straight wins.
While they had several Friday night at Garland Shoemake Stadium, they were also victimized by the big play as they were defeated by the Westlake Lions 14-12.
The Region 2-AAAAAAA loss dropped the Indians' overall mark to 4-2 and 0-1 in the region while the Lions improved to  3-3 overall, 1-0 in region play.
In the opening series of the game, the Indians had the ball at their own 35 yard line when Juan Calipolitti raced 25 yards into Lions territory at their 40.
Meanwhile, Gerald Green had a pair of runs for more than 10 yards including scoring on an 18-yard run with 9:36 remaining in the first quarter and the lead was 6-0 after a missed extra point attempt.
Westlake quarterback Caleb Dixon utilized the big play on the ensuing drive as he connected on a 23-yard pass to Amir Spivey and a 27-yard toss to Marckus Johnson that resulted in a touchdown with 4:46 remaining and the Lions took a 7-6 lead after converting the extra point.
Christian Reid answered his counterpart in the second quarter as the EC quarterback hit Dantarius Chunn with a 26-yard pass during a series that stalled and a 50-yard pass on first down to Brayden Carey that resulted in a touchdown with 1:22 remaining in the half.
The score gave EC a 12-7 lead that stood at halftime as they failed to convert on a two-point conversion attempt.
The big play went away for most of the second half as the game became on of field position as each defense was making big stops including one by the Lions in which a Reed pass was intercepted at the Wetlake 42 and returned it to the EC 37 with 5:14 remaining in the third quarter.
However, the Lions were unable to take advantage as the Indians had a big play with Clay Patterson introducing himself to Dixon for an eight yard sack with 5:14 remaining in the quarter.
The big play would haunt the Indians in the fourth quarter as they failed to convert a fourth-and-inches play at their own 39 with 9:31 remaining which allowed the Lions to take over.
The Lions were able to take advantage with a big play of their own as Dixon found an open Jalen Tillman for a 36-yard pass that led to a touchdown with 8:39 remaining in the game and the Lions enjoyed a 14-12 lead after the extra point attempt was successful.
The Indians tried to comeback on the ensuing drive but were stalled at the Lions 47 with a fourth-and-one with 5:18 remaining but elected to punt.
This became a big play as the Lions ran the majority of the time remaining on the clock.
Reid was 8-for-10 with an interception for 152 yards and a touchdown while Green led the way running the ball with 117 yards on 17 carries.
The Indians will be on the road next week when they travel to Smyrna for a game against Wheeler who lost to Newnan 45-20 Friday night at Drake Stadium.
 

.

Lynch homers and tosses one-hitter in EC win over Newnan in Region tourney on her birthday

SHARPSBURG-The Newnan Lady Cougars had hopes of coming out of the losers bracket and winning the 2017 Region 2-AAAAAAA Tournament against their rival the East Coweta Lady Indians.

In the first game, the Lady Cougars achieved the feat as they broke open a close game with an 11 run fourth inning to defeat the Campbell Lady Spartans 14-1 in a game called after four and one-half innings.

The loss dropped Campbell to 8-19 on the season as they will travel to Kingsland to face The Camden County Lady Wildcats in the first round of the state playoffs next Friday as the region's third seed.

Next was the matchup that fans came to see and they weren't disappointed as Kelley Lynch of East Coweta celebrated her 17th birthday by outdueling Newnan pitcher Addie Andrews 3-0 in a championship game that ended in an unusual way.

The Lady Indians improved to 28-0 on the season have guaranteed home field for the state playoffs which will begin next Friday against an at large team.

The Lady Cougars fell to 22-4 with the loss and they will host a playoff series next Friday also against the Colquitt County Lady Packers.

Lynch started the game in a minor jam after retiring the first batter as Alex Williams reached on a walk and Lindsay Bloom single to give the Lady Cougars at getting on the scoreboard first.

However, Lynch didn't panic as she retired Ansley Houston on a flyball to Hanna Miller in Left field and ended the inning with the first of 15 strikeouts.

In the bottom of the first inning, the Lady Indians threatened to get to Andrews early as Lilly Agan led off with a single and Olivia Davis followed with a single of her own.

However, Agan tried to advance to third on the play but Houston beat her to the third base bag and tagged her out.

Davis followed by trying to steal second but the umpires ruled that she left first early and called her out which set the stage for Lynch.
On a 2-1 offering from Andrews, Lynch delivered as she lined a shot over the center field fence for a solo home run and a 1-0 EC lead.
After a normal three strikeout inning by Lynch to retire the side in order in the top of the second, the Lady Indians added to the lead in the bottom of the frame as Rachel Vaughan led off with a single and Ansley Gunter followed by pulling Andrews’ 1-2 offering over the fence in Left fence for a two-run home run and a 3-0 lead.
That would conclude the offensive part of the game as Lynch was retiring batters via the strikeout route while Andrews was using a varying amounts of ways to keep the Lady Indians at bay.
The Lady Indians had a chance to add to the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning as Vaughan doubled and Ansley Gunter followed with a walk.
However, Andrews did not allow any further damage as she retired the next three batters to strand the twosome and go to the seventh inning.
After retiring 17 batters in a row, Lynch saw that streak end as Bloom reached on a walk and Houston reached on a throwing error that put both into scoring and brought Gracie Goodwin to the plate as the tying run.
Goodwin, who came into the game for an injured Danielle Curlee, was unable to solve Lynch as she went down on a strikeout for the first out.
Lynch retired Darby Keene on a pop to Davis at shortstop for the second out with Andrews coming to the plate representing the tying run.
With an 0-2 count, the Lady Cougar hurler was denied her chance to dent the scoreboard as Lynch threw to Ashlynn Gunter at third who threw to Caroline Lively at the plate to tag Bloom for the final out and give the Lady Indians the title.

EC advances to championship round with win over Newnan, Vaughan matches season high with 11K

File Photo courtesy of Barbara Lecuona

Rachel Vaughan matched her season high with
11 strikeouts inher two-hitter over Newnan. She
also reached base twice and had an RBI.

SHARPSBURG-Regardless of sport, a matchup of East Coweta and Newnan will probably be a tight contest and Wednesday evening offered nothing different as the the two did battle in the second round of the Region 2-AAAAAAA softball tournament.
Carmen Prior broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth inning with a two out single that led to a 6-0 win for the Lady Indians as Rachel Vaughan tossed a three-hit shutout that included 11 strikeouts.
The 11 strikeouts matched a season high Vaughan set originally on September 22 in a 7-3 win at North Gwinnett.
The win improved the Lady Indians record to 27-0 as they advanced to the championship round while the Lady Cougars fell to 21-3 as they will face Campbell Thursday at 4:30 with the winner advancing to the final against the Lady Indians.
Campbell scored 10 runs in the top of the fifth inning to defeat Westlake 17-4 with the latter falling to 7-10 and the fourth seed from the region for the upcoming state tournament.
The Lady Indians threatened to get on the board early as Lilly Agan reached on an error in the bottom of the first inning and moved to second on a sacrifice by Olivia Davis and tried to score on a two out single to left by Ashlynn Gunter.
However, Lady Cougars left fielder Lindsey Bloom threw a strike to catcher Reagan London who tagged Agan out to end the frame.
Through the first three innings, Vaughan and Newnan's Ansley Houston kept zeroes on the scoreboard in their own way.
Vaughan with the strikeout (six through the first three frames) while Houston overcame baserunners with pitches that got her out of trouble.
Vaughan ran into the only situation she would face during the game as surrendered back-to-back singles to Alex Williams and Bloom with one out in the top of the fourth but a pair of strikeouts stranded the duo and kept the game scoreless.
That would be the last chance the Lady Cougars to rally as Vaughan retired the next 11 batters in a row.
Houston was not as fortunate as she appeared to be getting out of a situation in the bottom of the fourth inning with pinch runner Katie Taylor at second base and two outs.
However, she was unable to escape trouble as Prior lined a single to right center field that scored Taylor from second base for the first run of the night.
The Lady Indians added to the run total with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning as Kelley Lynch drilled a shot over the left center field fence for a solo home run and Ashlynn Gunter followed with a double to left center field.
Gunter advanced to third on a wild pitch and came home on a sacrifice fly to center field by Vaughan and the lead was 3-0 for the latter.
Vaughan retired the side in order in the top of the sixth and her teammates came back to the dugout in the bottom of the frame to score three more runs.
With one out, Prior singled and stole second and moved to third when Agan grounded out before an infield error allowed her to score and Davis to reach base.
Davis raced home on a two out double by Lynch and Krys Odum, sent into the game as a pinch runner, was the final person to score as Ashlynn Gunter reached on an infield error.
In the top of the seventh inning, Vaughan was able to finish off the Lady Cougars in order with a pair of groundouts and closed out with a strikeout of Addie Andrews to reach 11 strikeouts and end the game.

EC and Newnan meet second round of region tournament after convincing victories

File Photo courtesy of Barbara Lecuona

SHARPSBURG-The Coweta version of the Hatfields and McCoys will do battle Wednesday evening on the softball field in the second round of the Region 2-AAAAAAA Tournament after doing away with their opponents in quick fashion Tuesday night.

The East Coweta Lady Indians improved to

26-0 on the season as Aniston Wright allowed one hit and recorded seven strikeouts in four innings and was 3-for-3 at the plate with three RBIs to lead the way ib a 12-0 win over the Campbell Lady Spartans.

Meanwhile, the Newnan Lady Cougars won their 21st game of the season with a 10-1 five inning win over the Westlake Lady Lions as Hailey Bloom and Ansley Houston each were 2-for-3 with three RBIs while Addie Andrews allowed one hit over five innings and recorded 11 strikeout to lead the way for the Lady Cougars.

The two teams will meet at 6:30 while Westlake (7-9) and Campbell (7-18) will meet in the losers bracket game at 4:30

Aniston Wright allowed one hit and recorded seven strikeouts
in the 12-0 win. She was also 3-for-3 at the plate with three
RBIs.

The loser of that game will be the region's fourth seed in the upcoming state playoffs. 

In the Lady Indians' win, EC took the lead in the bottom of the first inning as Olivia Davis reached on a single, stole second and scored on a single by Kelley Lynch.

Lynch was erased at second on a force play that allowed Ashlynn Gunter to reach first and steal second before scoring on single by Rachel Vaughan.

In the bottom of the second inning, the Lady Indians added to the lead as Wright led off with a single and courtesy runner Kenadie Cooper stealing second before scoring from third on a groundout by Lilly Agan.

The Lady Indians took a bigger lead in the bottom of the third inning with six runs in the frame to assume a 9-0 lead.

Ashlynn Gunter and Vaughan led off with back-to-back doubles for a run and after a flyball to center field, Hanna Miller reached on a walk and Wright aided her own cause with a two run double that went in between the left and center fielders.

Prior single and Agan followed with a two run double of her own and a run as Lynch joined the double parade.

Meanwhile, Wright had sailed through the first three frames but would have a little problem in the top of the fourth as she allowed a double and had another baserunner in the frame through an error but managed to leave them stranded as she induced a ground ball Olivia Cook fielded at third and threw a strike across the diamond.

The bottom of the fourth inning was bench clearing time as reserves were sent into the game with Cooper reaching first after being hit by a pitch to open the frame.

After a strikeout, Kylie Ferguson reached on a single and Wright added to her cause again with a run scoring single.

Caison Byars reached on an infield error that allowed Ferguson to score and a double by Krys Odum allowed courtesy runner Macie Wiggins to come home with the final run of the game.

In the Newnan victory, Westlake took a lead in the top of the first inning as Marissa Holmes had an RBI double but the Newnan came back in the bottom of the frame with four runs.

Kaylen Madrey led off by reaching on an infield error and advancing after a single by Alex Williams.

A double by Hailey Bloom scored Madrey while a single by Ansley Houston scored Williams and Bloom to give the Lady Cougars a 3-0 lead.

The final run of the frame came with Andrews aiding her own cause with a one out triple.

The Lady Cougars added to the lead in the bottom of the second inning with three runs as Paige De Poi led off with a single and Marleigh Williamson reached on an infield error.

After a strikeout and a fielder’s choice, Bloom had two-run triple and Houston had an RBI single to give Andrews a 7-0 lead to protect.

Andrews retired the first two batters in the top of the third inning but surrendered a pair of walks before ending the frame on a ground ball back to the pitching rubber.

Newnan added to the lead in the bottom of the third inning as Andrews reached on an infield error and as Reagan London’s single was misplayed in the outfield, courtesy runner Jenna Lyons was able to score.

The Lady Cougars reached the mercy rule in the bottom of the fourth as Madrey singled and Williams reached on an infield error.

A double steal resulted in one run as Madrey came home from third while an infield error allowed Williams to score the final run of the game as Andrews reached on an infield error.

Andrews didn’t have any trouble in the top of the fifth as she retired the side in order with three strikeouts.

Streamcity to carry remainder of tournament

The remainder of the Region 2-AAAAAAA Tournament will be broadcast over streamcity.org beginning Wednesday with the Westlake-Campbell game at 4:30 followed by the East Coweta-Newnan game beginning at 6:30.

The Thursday games will also be on the air through the internet radio station as well.

Listeners need to click to the site and click the appropriate button.