Red Raiders take second in season-opening tourney
It’s not even September, but the Madison County softball team is battle tested.
The Red Raiders (6-2) hosted the 12-team Leadoff Classic last week and finished second to Walnut Grove, which edged Madison County in a dramatic 2-1 game Friday night.
But Madison County bounced back to down perennially tough Greenbrier 8-7 in a nine-inning marathon Saturday.
Red Raider head coach Doug Kesler said he felt his team wasn’t particularly sharp defensively, but he said he appreciated the girls’ never-say-die attitude in tight contests.
“We kind of kicked it around a couple of games and weren’t as good defensively as I had hoped, but the girls never quit and I was proud of how they battled,” said Kesler.
The coach also praised his players for being “good winners.” He said he appreciates that his team wins games in a “gracious manner,” not celebrating in an excessive way.
Of course, the Red Raiders had plenty to smile about last week, especially at the plate.
Madison County has had remarkable offensive performances from several players, including Ivie Drake, who leads the team with a .524 average and has three doubles, two homers and 10 RBIs through eight games. Randee Bettis is batting .444 with two doubles, a homer and 5 RBIs, while Jessica Allen is batting .364 with two doubles, a homer and eight RBIs.
Kesler also praised his young pitchers, Alexis Damron and Dani Lukas, who have gotten more time on the mound as pitcher Gabby Gillespie has battled back issues.
Madison County, which was scheduled to travel to Eastside Tuesday, will host Lanier Thursday at 5:55 before traveling to Loganville at 5:55 Monday.
Here is a recap of last week’s action:
Madison County 7
Rockdale County 4
Madison County opened the Leadoff Classic with a 7-4, five-inning win over Rockdale County Thursday afternoon.
The Red Raiders scored one run in the first inning, two in the third, one in fourth and three in the fifth, while Rockdale posted three in the fourth and one in the fifth.
Alexis Damron picked up the win for Madison County, going 3.2 innings and fanning six and walking two, while surrendering one earned run and two hits. Dani Lukas got the save in 1.1 innings, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out two.
Drake was 3-for-3 for the Red Raiders, with two doubles and an RBI. Allen was 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBIs. Alexis Damron went 1-for-2 with an RBI and Haley Gordon was 1-for-3.
Madison County 6
Morgan County 4
Madison County edged Morgan County in the nightcap on Thursday night 6-4. With the game tied at 4-4, the Lady Raiders pulled ahead in the bottom of the fifth inning on back-to-back home runs from Randee Bettis and Jorden Williams to win the game. The game was called after the fifth inning due to the time rule used in the tournament.
Bettis was the winning pitcher for the Lady Raiders. After tossing 28 pitches in the first inning, Bettis bounced back to finish the night allowing four runs on three hits while striking out eight and walking three. Jorden Williams and Bettis led the hitting attack with two hits and one RBI each followed by a hit each from Haley Gordon, Dani Lukas, and Alexis Damron (two RBIs). Jessica Allen had one RBI on the night.
Madison County fell behind 3-0 after two and a half innings of play, but bounced back with four runs in the home half of the fourth to take a one-run lead. Ivie Drake and Randee Bettis both reached on errors to lead off the inning. Drake reached third on a Morgan County throwing error and scored as Bettis reached on the second error. Jorden Williams, who reached with a single, later scored Madison County’s second run on a fielder’s choice by Jessica Allen. The Lady Raiders put two more runners in scoring position after Abby Morgan walked and Dani Lukas doubled. Both runners scored after Alexis Damron dropped in a key two-out bloop single that gave Madison County the one-run advantage.
Morgan County answered with a home run in the top of the fifth inning to tie the game at 4-4. With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Bettis and Williams connected on back-to-back homers to win the “time shortened” game.
Madison County 9 Monroe 4
The Lady Raiders resumed play on Friday night in the Lead-Off Classic defeating new region 8-AAAA foe Monroe Area 9-4. This was a contest that didn’t count towards the Pool Play standings. It was an extra game added to the tournament that gave the teams’ reserve players a chance to gain experience.
Dani Lukas got the start on the mound for Madison County. Lukas pitched the entire five innings (time shortened game), allowing four runs on five hits while striking out two and issuing one walk. Lukas helped her own cause at the plate where her fourth inning two-run home run gave Madison County a 5-0 lead. Lukas finished the night with three hits and four RBIs. Kayla Argo and Courtney Alexander (one RBI) added two hits each and Jessica Allen (one RBI), Randee Bettis, and Kristen Moran chipped in one hit each. Madison County took a 1-0 lead in the first inning after Jorden Williams was hit by pitched and ended up scoring on a Jessica Allen double.
Lukas got the scoring started with a single in the second inning that pushed home Kristen Moran for Madison County’s first run. With the bases loaded, Jorden Williams drew a walk to force home Karli Booth for the 2-0 Lady Raider lead.
Lukas’ two run homer in the fourth inning push the lead to 5-0. Madison County then sealed the deal with a four run fifth inning. Courtney Alexander and Kristen Moran both scored on wild pitches, a single from Lukas drove home Booth and Kayla Argo touched home on a sacrifice fly by Jorden Williams. Monroe scored their only runs of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Walnut Grove 2 Madison County 1
Pool play continued in the nightcap on Friday against Walnut Grove. This game proved to be costly for the Lady Raiders by the time the tournament ended last Saturday night. Walnut Grove slammed a seventh inning walk off solo home run to defeat the Lady Raiders 2-1. This gave the Lady Raiders their only loss of the tournament and paved Walnut Grove’s way to a tournament sweep. With just the one loss for Madison County, the Lady Raiders were forced to win the remainder of their tournament games and hope that someone could knock off Walnut Grove. Those hopes didn’t work out as Walnut Grove defeated Greenbrier to finish the tournament in first place giving Madison County the runner-up trophy.
Coach Doug Kesler gave the ball to sophomore Alexis Damron who went 6.1 innings, allowing just two runs on three hits while striking out two. The entire contest was a duel between pitchers. Both teams posted a run each in the second inning to keep the game deadlocked at 1-1 until the game winning home run in the bottom of the seventh.
The Lady Raiders took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Jorden Williams led off the inning by drawing a walk and later scored on Dani Lukas’ sacrifice fly to center. Walnut Grove answered with the game tying run in the bottom of the frame.
Alexis Damron then went to work. Damron retired eight-straight batters before Walnut Grove finally managed a single in the fifth inning. Madison County had an opportunity of its own to pull ahead after putting runners in scoring position in the third inning. Drake reached on a fielder’s choice and Bettis singled, but both were left hanging after Williams grounded out to end the threat. Walnut Grove won the game on a one-out walk-off homer in the seventh. Bri Carr led Madison County with two hits, followed by a hit each from Jessica Allen, Bettis and Damron. Lukas had the Lady Raiders’ lone RBI.
Madison County 8 Greenbrier 7
Saturday’s game one turned into a marathon for the Lady Raiders and the Greenbrier Wolfpack from Augusta. The game lasted nearly three and a half hours, was tied at three different times and was forced to use the “international tie breaker” (which allows a runner to be placed at second base to start off each inning). By the time the dust settled after nine innings, Madison County walked off with an 8-7 win. Carr was the runner placed at second, due to the I.T.B. rule, to start the bottom of the ninth. Drake then lined a double to right field, driving home Carr for the tying run. Gordon, who was hit by a pitch earlier in the inning, advanced to third on Drake’s double. The Lady Pack then intentionally walked Bettis to load the bases with hopes of setting up a double play. The strategy didn’t work as Williams rolled a grounder to third that was bobbled by the Greenbrier fielder allowing Gordon to touch home for the winning run.
Greenbrier took an early 4-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Madison County tied the game at four with two runs in each the fourth and fifth innings. Gordon reached on a bunt single and got a free ride home after Drake connected on a long home run to centerfield. Madison County tied the game in the fifth after Elizabeth Nix, who entered the game to pinch run for Abby Morgan, scored on a ground out by Carr. Senior Kaylee Bates followed with a double to left field. Bates ended up scoring the tying run on a two out single by Damron.
Due to the tournament time limit, the regulation time expired with the game tied at 4-4 after five innings. The I.T.B. rule was then inserted in the sixth inning. Both teams pushed across a run in the sixth frame and again in the eighth to keep the game tied at 6-6. Greenbrier pushed ahead with a run in the top of the ninth, but Madison County’s two runs in the home half of the inning ended the battle.
Bettis pitched the entire nine innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits while striking out five and walking one. Drake led Madison County at the plate with three hits and three RBIs followed by Bates, who added two hits.
Madison County 6 North Oconee 5
Drake struck again in Madison County’s final game of the tournament, connecting on a three-run home run to right center field in the fifth inning, rallying the Lady Raiders to a come-from-behind 6-5 win over North Oconee. North Oconee added a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning that cut the lead to one, but Bettis pitching in relief of Damron, got two straight Oconee batters out to end the game. Damron pitched 5.1 innings, allowing five runs on five hits while striking out four batters. Bettis pitched the final two thirds of an inning without allowing a run or hit. Drake again fueled the Lady Raiders’ offense with two hits and four RBIs followed by a hit each from Morgan, Williams and Bates.
North Oconee took an early 4-0 lead after two innings of play. Madison County bounced back to cut the lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the third inning. Bates drew a leadoff walk and Williams singled to start the rally. Bates scored on a single by Drake and Williams touched home on a wild pitch. On the same play, Drake came home after Oconee’s catcher committed a throwing error to third in an attempt to cut down Drake.
The 4-3 North Oconee lead held throughout four and a half innings, but Drake’s three-run blast sunk the Lady Trojans in the bottom of the fifth.
But Madison County bounced back to down perennially tough Greenbrier 8-7 in a nine-inning marathon Saturday.
Red Raider head coach Doug Kesler said he felt his team wasn’t particularly sharp defensively, but he said he appreciated the girls’ never-say-die attitude in tight contests.
“We kind of kicked it around a couple of games and weren’t as good defensively as I had hoped, but the girls never quit and I was proud of how they battled,” said Kesler.
The coach also praised his players for being “good winners.” He said he appreciates that his team wins games in a “gracious manner,” not celebrating in an excessive way.
Of course, the Red Raiders had plenty to smile about last week, especially at the plate.
Madison County has had remarkable offensive performances from several players, including Ivie Drake, who leads the team with a .524 average and has three doubles, two homers and 10 RBIs through eight games. Randee Bettis is batting .444 with two doubles, a homer and 5 RBIs, while Jessica Allen is batting .364 with two doubles, a homer and eight RBIs.
Kesler also praised his young pitchers, Alexis Damron and Dani Lukas, who have gotten more time on the mound as pitcher Gabby Gillespie has battled back issues.
Madison County, which was scheduled to travel to Eastside Tuesday, will host Lanier Thursday at 5:55 before traveling to Loganville at 5:55 Monday.
Here is a recap of last week’s action:
Madison County 7
Rockdale County 4
Madison County opened the Leadoff Classic with a 7-4, five-inning win over Rockdale County Thursday afternoon.
The Red Raiders scored one run in the first inning, two in the third, one in fourth and three in the fifth, while Rockdale posted three in the fourth and one in the fifth.
Alexis Damron picked up the win for Madison County, going 3.2 innings and fanning six and walking two, while surrendering one earned run and two hits. Dani Lukas got the save in 1.1 innings, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out two.
Drake was 3-for-3 for the Red Raiders, with two doubles and an RBI. Allen was 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBIs. Alexis Damron went 1-for-2 with an RBI and Haley Gordon was 1-for-3.
Madison County 6
Morgan County 4
Madison County edged Morgan County in the nightcap on Thursday night 6-4. With the game tied at 4-4, the Lady Raiders pulled ahead in the bottom of the fifth inning on back-to-back home runs from Randee Bettis and Jorden Williams to win the game. The game was called after the fifth inning due to the time rule used in the tournament.
Bettis was the winning pitcher for the Lady Raiders. After tossing 28 pitches in the first inning, Bettis bounced back to finish the night allowing four runs on three hits while striking out eight and walking three. Jorden Williams and Bettis led the hitting attack with two hits and one RBI each followed by a hit each from Haley Gordon, Dani Lukas, and Alexis Damron (two RBIs). Jessica Allen had one RBI on the night.
Madison County fell behind 3-0 after two and a half innings of play, but bounced back with four runs in the home half of the fourth to take a one-run lead. Ivie Drake and Randee Bettis both reached on errors to lead off the inning. Drake reached third on a Morgan County throwing error and scored as Bettis reached on the second error. Jorden Williams, who reached with a single, later scored Madison County’s second run on a fielder’s choice by Jessica Allen. The Lady Raiders put two more runners in scoring position after Abby Morgan walked and Dani Lukas doubled. Both runners scored after Alexis Damron dropped in a key two-out bloop single that gave Madison County the one-run advantage.
Morgan County answered with a home run in the top of the fifth inning to tie the game at 4-4. With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Bettis and Williams connected on back-to-back homers to win the “time shortened” game.
Madison County 9 Monroe 4
The Lady Raiders resumed play on Friday night in the Lead-Off Classic defeating new region 8-AAAA foe Monroe Area 9-4. This was a contest that didn’t count towards the Pool Play standings. It was an extra game added to the tournament that gave the teams’ reserve players a chance to gain experience.
Dani Lukas got the start on the mound for Madison County. Lukas pitched the entire five innings (time shortened game), allowing four runs on five hits while striking out two and issuing one walk. Lukas helped her own cause at the plate where her fourth inning two-run home run gave Madison County a 5-0 lead. Lukas finished the night with three hits and four RBIs. Kayla Argo and Courtney Alexander (one RBI) added two hits each and Jessica Allen (one RBI), Randee Bettis, and Kristen Moran chipped in one hit each. Madison County took a 1-0 lead in the first inning after Jorden Williams was hit by pitched and ended up scoring on a Jessica Allen double.
Lukas got the scoring started with a single in the second inning that pushed home Kristen Moran for Madison County’s first run. With the bases loaded, Jorden Williams drew a walk to force home Karli Booth for the 2-0 Lady Raider lead.
Lukas’ two run homer in the fourth inning push the lead to 5-0. Madison County then sealed the deal with a four run fifth inning. Courtney Alexander and Kristen Moran both scored on wild pitches, a single from Lukas drove home Booth and Kayla Argo touched home on a sacrifice fly by Jorden Williams. Monroe scored their only runs of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Walnut Grove 2 Madison County 1
Pool play continued in the nightcap on Friday against Walnut Grove. This game proved to be costly for the Lady Raiders by the time the tournament ended last Saturday night. Walnut Grove slammed a seventh inning walk off solo home run to defeat the Lady Raiders 2-1. This gave the Lady Raiders their only loss of the tournament and paved Walnut Grove’s way to a tournament sweep. With just the one loss for Madison County, the Lady Raiders were forced to win the remainder of their tournament games and hope that someone could knock off Walnut Grove. Those hopes didn’t work out as Walnut Grove defeated Greenbrier to finish the tournament in first place giving Madison County the runner-up trophy.
Coach Doug Kesler gave the ball to sophomore Alexis Damron who went 6.1 innings, allowing just two runs on three hits while striking out two. The entire contest was a duel between pitchers. Both teams posted a run each in the second inning to keep the game deadlocked at 1-1 until the game winning home run in the bottom of the seventh.
The Lady Raiders took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Jorden Williams led off the inning by drawing a walk and later scored on Dani Lukas’ sacrifice fly to center. Walnut Grove answered with the game tying run in the bottom of the frame.
Alexis Damron then went to work. Damron retired eight-straight batters before Walnut Grove finally managed a single in the fifth inning. Madison County had an opportunity of its own to pull ahead after putting runners in scoring position in the third inning. Drake reached on a fielder’s choice and Bettis singled, but both were left hanging after Williams grounded out to end the threat. Walnut Grove won the game on a one-out walk-off homer in the seventh. Bri Carr led Madison County with two hits, followed by a hit each from Jessica Allen, Bettis and Damron. Lukas had the Lady Raiders’ lone RBI.
Madison County 8 Greenbrier 7
Saturday’s game one turned into a marathon for the Lady Raiders and the Greenbrier Wolfpack from Augusta. The game lasted nearly three and a half hours, was tied at three different times and was forced to use the “international tie breaker” (which allows a runner to be placed at second base to start off each inning). By the time the dust settled after nine innings, Madison County walked off with an 8-7 win. Carr was the runner placed at second, due to the I.T.B. rule, to start the bottom of the ninth. Drake then lined a double to right field, driving home Carr for the tying run. Gordon, who was hit by a pitch earlier in the inning, advanced to third on Drake’s double. The Lady Pack then intentionally walked Bettis to load the bases with hopes of setting up a double play. The strategy didn’t work as Williams rolled a grounder to third that was bobbled by the Greenbrier fielder allowing Gordon to touch home for the winning run.
Greenbrier took an early 4-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Madison County tied the game at four with two runs in each the fourth and fifth innings. Gordon reached on a bunt single and got a free ride home after Drake connected on a long home run to centerfield. Madison County tied the game in the fifth after Elizabeth Nix, who entered the game to pinch run for Abby Morgan, scored on a ground out by Carr. Senior Kaylee Bates followed with a double to left field. Bates ended up scoring the tying run on a two out single by Damron.
Due to the tournament time limit, the regulation time expired with the game tied at 4-4 after five innings. The I.T.B. rule was then inserted in the sixth inning. Both teams pushed across a run in the sixth frame and again in the eighth to keep the game tied at 6-6. Greenbrier pushed ahead with a run in the top of the ninth, but Madison County’s two runs in the home half of the inning ended the battle.
Bettis pitched the entire nine innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits while striking out five and walking one. Drake led Madison County at the plate with three hits and three RBIs followed by Bates, who added two hits.
Madison County 6 North Oconee 5
Drake struck again in Madison County’s final game of the tournament, connecting on a three-run home run to right center field in the fifth inning, rallying the Lady Raiders to a come-from-behind 6-5 win over North Oconee. North Oconee added a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning that cut the lead to one, but Bettis pitching in relief of Damron, got two straight Oconee batters out to end the game. Damron pitched 5.1 innings, allowing five runs on five hits while striking out four batters. Bettis pitched the final two thirds of an inning without allowing a run or hit. Drake again fueled the Lady Raiders’ offense with two hits and four RBIs followed by a hit each from Morgan, Williams and Bates.
North Oconee took an early 4-0 lead after two innings of play. Madison County bounced back to cut the lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the third inning. Bates drew a leadoff walk and Williams singled to start the rally. Bates scored on a single by Drake and Williams touched home on a wild pitch. On the same play, Drake came home after Oconee’s catcher committed a throwing error to third in an attempt to cut down Drake.
The 4-3 North Oconee lead held throughout four and a half innings, but Drake’s three-run blast sunk the Lady Trojans in the bottom of the fifth.
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