Joiner shows off power as East Coweta sweeps West Forsyth in playoff series

Jada Savage pitched hitless inning and had eight strikeouts
in game on.
Photo by Stuart Crosby

SHARPSBURG-Addie Joiner showed off her power Monday with three home runs and six RBIs as the East Coweta Lady Indians swept the West Forsyth Lady Wolverines in a first round 6A playoff series.

In game one, Joiner hit two home runs while Payton Roberson and Gabi Gopie hit home runs in a 12-1 five inning contest while Joiner and Jada Savage had home runs in a 7-0 win in the nightcap.

The Lady Indians improve to 26-3 on the season and will host the winner of the series between Cherokee and Paulding County in a second round series next week.

The two teams will play a deciding game Tuesday evening.

Savage and Lady Wolverines starter Elizabeth Bare breezed through the first two innings of the opener but the situation changed in the bottom of the third inning.

Payton Wilson reached on a two out single and scored the first run of the game as Roberson hit a line drive double to the left field fence.

After Savage reached on a walk, Joiner hit her first home run of the night as she hit a flyball over the left field fence for a three-run home run and the lead was 4-0.

In the top of the fourth inning, the Lady Wolverines got on the scoreboard after a couple of hit batters but were unable to solve Savage.

The Lady Indians reclaimed the four-run lead in the bottom of the fourth and more when 12 batters came to the plate with eight coming home.

Izzy Kelleher led off with a single, Avery Batten reached on a walk and both scored as Addy Howell followed with a line drive single to center field.

Kate Miller reached on an infield error and after an RBI ground out, Roberson drilled a pitch to left center field for a home run and the lead was 9-0.

Savage walked again and Joiner struck again with a shot over the left center field before Gopie drilled a pitch to left field for her home run.

After four hitless innings which included eight strikeouts, Savage was lifted in favor of McKenna Holmes who recorded a pair of strikeouts and surrendered the only hit of the game by the Lady Wolverines.

In the second game, Savage and Bare were recording scoreless frames in the first three innings until the top of the fourth inning when Joiner struck for her third home run of the night with a flyball over the fence in left center field.

The Lady Indians added to the lead in the top of the fifth inning as back-to-back doubles by Wilson and Roberson accounted for a pair of runs that increased the advantage to 3-0.

East Coweta put the game away in the top of the seventh inning as Wilson had an RBI single and Savage had a three-run home run.

Savage finished the three hit, 12 strikeout performance by retiring the Lady Wolverines in order in the bottom of the frame.

NOTES:  Joiner was 3-for-6 in the two games with six RBIs while Roberson was also 3-for-6 with four RBIs and three runs scored.

Wilson scored three runs in the two games.