Last week the Banks County High School softball team traveled to Dawson County to take on the South’s No.3 seed Jefferson in the first round of the Region 8-AA tournament.
Jefferson would score one run in the first inning and three in the second inning to take a 4-0 lead headed into the top of the fourth. This is when the Lady Leopards would begin their comeback.
McKenna Rylee, Hayley Warner, and Kaitlyn Stewart would all single to start the inning. Stewart’s single would drive home Rylee to score the first run of the game for BCHS. Taylor Kennedy advanced Warner and Stewart on a sacrifice bunt. Lindsey Elliott then singled home both Warner and Stewart to bring the Lady Leopards within one run of Jefferson.
The score would remain 4-3 in favor of Jefferson until the top of the seventh inning. With one out Madison Franklin would single. Lexi Goodwin then reached on an error. The BCHS Lady Leopards then pounded out eight consecutive hits. Rylee, Warner, Stewart, Kennedy, Elliott, and Morgan Cox would all single and then Shelby Parson would triple down the right field line clearing the bases. Parson would also score on a throwing error on the play.
BCHS scored nine runs in the inning to take a 12-4 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning. Jefferson scored one run in the bottom of the seventh inning but that was all it could push across. The win would set up a showdown against sub-region foe Dawson County the following day.
Offensively, Rylee and Elliott had three hits each while Franklin, Warner, Stewart, and Kennedy added two hits each. Cox, Parson, and Goodwin all added one hit. Savannah Denton pitched all seven innings allowing eight hits, two walks and recording four strikeouts.
The Lady Leopards then took on host Dawson County but fell short 7-0. Hayley Warner would have two hits while McKenna Rylee and Morgan Cox would add one hit each. Savannah Denton and Rylee would split the pitching duty against Dawson County.
“We couldn’t get anything going against the Dawson pitcher,” said BCHS coach Dean Goodwin.
The Lady Leopards had little time to rest and reflect on the game because they had to play Jefferson right afterwards in a win or go home game. BCHS wasted little time against Jefferson the second time around.
The Lady Leopards would score six runs in the top of the first inning. Franklin would reach on an error and score on Lexi Goodwin’s double. Then Rylee singled followed by Warner's walk to load the bases. Stewart would reach on an error followed by a single by Kennedy. Elliot would single to load the bases again and Cox would then drive home two runs.
In the second inning, the Lady Leopards struck again. Rylee singled and then Warner hit a two- run homer to take a commanding 8-1 lead.
In the top of the third Shelby Parson would walk and Franklin would single. Rylee would single home both Parson and Franklin for a 10-1 lead. Warner would single home Rylee to extend BCHS lead to 11-1. Jefferson scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth to close the lead to 11-3. BCHS would score another run in the top of the fourth Elliott hit a solo homerun to push the lead to 12-3.
In the top of the fifth, Warner would double, advance to third on a pass ball and would score on an error to end the scoring for the Lady Leopards. BCHS would win 13-3 to advance further in the region tournament.
The tournament then switched to Fannin County where the Lady Leopards would take on the South’s No. 1 seed North Oconee with a trip to state on the line.
In the top of the first inning, Rylee would reach on a fielder’s choice and then steal second base. Warner would then triple home Rylee to take an early 1-0 lead for BCHS.
North Oconee would respond with a run of its own in the bottom of the first. BCHS would score another run in the top of the second inning when Parson reached after being hit by a pitch and later scored on Franklin’s double.
BCHS was unable to hold the lead in the bottom of the second inning. North Oconee would score two runs to take a 3-2 advantage.
The Lady Leopards would score two more runs in the top of the third inning both Warner and Kaithlyn Stewart would double. Warner scored on Stewart’s hit and Stewart scored on Parson’s fielder’s choice to give BCHS a 4-3 lead.
North Oconee would score five runs in the bottom of the third to take the lead for good. BCHS would be able to push across one run in the top of the sixth inning when Franklin would hit a line drive to right field, getting past the right fielder. Franklin would score on the play making the final score 11-5.
The loss ended the Lady Leopards season with an overall record of 18-10.
