The Wayne County High Lady Jackets punched their ticket to the Elite Eight of the 5A state softball tournament in Columbus with a sweep of Villa Rica High on Wednesday at Barbara Struckhoff Field.
The Lady Jackets edged the Lady Wildcats 2-1 in a tightly contested opener before rolling to a 7-0 shutout in the nightcap to secure their place among the final eight teams in Class 5A softball.
“I would like to start by giving God all the glory,” said coach Chase Hinson. “The expectation and the standard have been set by the success that the program has seen. The team, school and community expect to see the Lady Jackets in Columbus year after year. We don’t take it lightly, because it is very difficult to get there even once. We have been blessed that this is our fifth consecutive year going.”
The Lady Jackets will open Elite Eight play against the winner of the Perry High-North Oconee High matchup on Oct. 28 at 5:45 p.m.
“They have worked endlessly since losing out in Columbus last year, and the results have been shown so far,” Hinson said. “The toughest part is still to come. You are going against the best programs, athletes and coaches next week. It is a gauntlet! However, there is not another team I would want to take into the gauntlet than the one we are carrying.”
Game one
The game was a tight one, with both Lady Jacket pitcher Ada Sluder and Lady Wildcat pitcher Peyton Harrison turning in strong performances.
Sluder earned the win with a complete-game effort, allowing just one run on two hits and two walks while striking out six. Peyton Harrison was equally impressive, surrendering two runs on seven hits and two walks while also fanning six.
The Lady Jackets struck first in the bottom of the third after Marlee Walling led off with a single to left. Ellie Harrison followed with a sharply hit ball that ricocheted off the edge of third base. Walling used her speed to race all the way home from first, giving Wayne County a 1-0 lead.
The Lady Jackets added what proved to be the winning run in the fourth after Addison Thompson reached on an error. Bella Ellis entered as a pinch runner and advanced to third on a single by Morgan Boatright. Richardson then delivered an RBI single to center, bringing Ellis home and extending Wayne County’s lead to 2-0.
Villa Rica cut the deficit in half in the fifth, pushing across a run on a triple and an RBI groundout.
Ellie Harrison led Wayne County at the plate with three hits and an RBI. Walling, Thompson, Boatright and Richardson each added a hit.
Game two
Boatright continued the Lady Jackets’ dominance in the circle in the nightcap, tossing a complete-game shutout as Wayne County rolled to a 7-0 victory. She scattered just three hits and one walk while striking out eight.
Villa Rica’s Peyton Harrison was tagged with the loss, surrendering seven runs on 11 hits and three walks while also striking out eight.
As in the opener, the Lady Jackets played error-free softball, while the Lady Wildcats committed three miscues.
Wayne County broke the game open with a four-run third inning. Richardson drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a bunt single to third by Walling.
Just as she had in the first game, Ellie Harrison delivered the first run with an RBI single to third. Walling came around to score on an error before Eda Anderson singled to left to extend the lead to 3-0.
Thompson followed with an RBI double to cap the four-run outburst and give the Lady Jackets a comfortable cushion.
Wayne County tacked on single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to put the game away.
Scott provided the fireworks in the fifth, blasting her 20th home run of the season to once again break her own school record.
Boatright helped her own cause in the sixth, leading off with a single. Ellis entered as a pinch runner and advanced to second on a sacrifice by Hardie Purcell before Walling brought her home with a single to left.
Anderson put the finishing touch on the victory in the seventh, belting a solo home run.