Savage pitches and hits EC to the "ship

Photos by Paula Stubbs

Jada Savage shows her excitement after
her first inning RBI double.  

SHARPSBURG-Monday night, Jada Savage pitched a no hitter with 18 strikeouts and allowing three baserunners as the East Coweta Lady Indians defeated the Parkview Lady Panthers 5-0.

The sophomore hurler took things a step further Tuesday with a perfect day at the plate and in the pitching circle with a 10-0 five inning win over the Lady Panthers in the final game of the 7A Super Regional softball tournament.

The win improved the EC record to 29-3 as they advanced to the 7A Elite Eight next week in Columbus for the 18th time in 19 years while Parkview finished their season at 16-12.

Savage opened the game with three strikeouts and in the bottom of the first inning gave the Lady Indians the only run needed when her double to left field scored Sophia Santiago.

The second inning was scoreless, but the Lady Indians added to the lead in the bottom of the third inning as Savage drilled a 3-0 offering over the left field fence to give her team a 4-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Lady Indians sent 12 batters to the plate with six runners scoring to put the game away.

Gaby Gopie prepares to make contact
in the game. Gopie had two hits.

With one out, Gaby Gopie scored on a line drive single to left by Madison Duffel and after Payton Roberson reached on a walk, Addie Joiner drilled a fly ball to left field for a two-run double.

Mallory Lumpkins followed with a two-run double of her own to give EC a 9-0 cushion and scored the final run of the game when Maggie Stubbs hit an opposite field single to left.

Meanwhile, Savage was like a surgeon as she carved through the Parkview lineup by retiring the first nine batters via the strikeout route with seven swinging strikeouts.

The streak ended in the top of the fourth inning as Gopie caught a line drive at first base and after a called third strike, Gopie made a putout that ended the frame.

In the top of the fifth inning, Savage recorded a pair of strikeouts while a flyball to Kate Miller in center field was sandwiched in between.

Savage finished with 12 strikeouts in the game.

On the offensive front for EC, Roberson reached base three times as did Joyner while Stubbs and Gopie reached twice each.

TOURNAMENT NOTES: The Lady Indians will open play in the 7A Elite Eight tournament next Wednesday against the North Gwinnett Lady Bulldogs.

North Gwinnett defeated Mountain View 9-1 in the elimination game.

The Lady Indians defeated the Lady Bulldogs in 2020 to win the title while the latter won in 2021.

The Northgate Lady Vikings won three games Tuesday to advance to their second straight 5A Elite Eight tournament.

Northgate (19-11) defeated Union Grove 14-7 and swept Greenbrier 6-5 and 5-3.

They will meet Eastside in the opening round next Wednesday.

The Newnan Lady Cougars will play Shiloh at home in an 11:00 6A tournament game on Wednesday while Trinity Christian (coached by former EC standout Katey Lynch Rutherford)will face Bainbridge in a 4A contest at West Laurens.