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Extended season

Five teams make it to state playoffs

The Whitewater Lady Wildcat varsity softball team has set the bar high for all future softball teams at the school. In their first year of varsity play, fielding a team made up entirely of freshmen and sophomores, the Lady Wildcats placed third in the region 4-AAAA tournament and have earned a place in the AAAA state tournament. They will be joined by McIntosh, which placed fourth in the region tourney, Starr’s Mill, which placed second in the region 4-AAAAA tournament and Our Lady of Mercy and Landmark, which placed third and fourth in the 5-A region tournament.

Whitewater got started last Wednesday with a 7-4 win over Alexander. Tess Echols drove in two runs in the game, while Lauren Moyer and Rachel Taylor each drove in one in the win. Coach Stacey Smith also credited Danielle Dickson, who was playing second base at the end of the game, and Moyer for turning a game ending double play with runners in scoring position as one of the game’s highlights. The Lady Wildcats followed the win with a 10-0 loss to Northgate. The Lady Vikings allowed no hits and out-hustled Whitewater in the game.

Whitewater bounced back from the loss with a 5-1 win over Woodward Academy. The Lady Wildcats scored four of their five runs in the second inning thanks to doubles from Holman and Moyer and a triple from Echols. Dickson earned the win and Jill Keller picked up the save. After the Woodward win, Whitewater defeated McIntosh 2-0 with Dickson pitching a no hittter and striking out three batters.

“Our pitchers have really helped us get where we are,” said Smith. “These two girls just started pitching last year and have kept us in ball games all year long.”

The Lady Wildcats luck ran out in the bottom of the seventh inning in their game against Chapel Hill, the eventual region runners-up. Echols went two-for-three at the plate and Dickson and Keller combined to only alow three hits, but defensive errors late in the game proved costly.

“This is not an easy region and nobody rolls over,” said Smith of the competition in the region tournament. “I was impressed with our win in the opening game and every thing afterwards has been icing on the cake. This team plays with a lot of heart and they are not finished yet.”

Whitewater will open the state tournament at 4 p.m. Friday at Southern Pines in Dublin. Their opponent will be Jones County and a win would put them up against the winner of Lee County/Westside-Macon.

McIntosh will also open the state tournament at 4 p.m. playing against Greenbrier. The Lady Chiefs defeated Woodward Academy in the opener 2-0. Pitcher Morgan Kidd earned 10 strike outs and the runs were driven in by Amelia Beach and Erin Milani. In the next game, McIntosh faced Chapel Hill and lost a close game, 3-2. Cory Lowe and Jocelyn Clarke drove in the runs for McIntosh but the Lady Chiefs couldn’t add more after Chaepl Hill took a lead in the fifth inning. McIntosh’s bats stayed quiet in their 2-0 loss to Whitewater. If the Lady Chiefs defeat Greenbrier they will take on the winner of Ware County/Henry County at 8 p.m.

Our Lady of Mercy finished third in the region 5-A tournament with wins over Mt. Paran, Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy and Landmark Christian, while Landmark took fourth place, defeating Eagle’s Landing Christian and Whitefield Academy. Our Lady of Mercy will play Washington-Wilkes at 6 p.m. at the softball complex on McDonough Road in Hampton, while Landmark will play Georgia Military at 4 p.m. A Lady Bobcat win would pit them against the winner of Hebron Christian Academy/Bowdon, while a Landmark win will ave them face the winner of Jefferson/Trion.

For a more detailed look at the state tournament brackets, visit www.ghsa.net

Starr’s Mill placed second in the region 4-AAAAA tournament to East Coweta. The Lady Panthers opened with a 15-0 win over Lovejoy, followed by a 1-0 loss to Union Grove, a 4-3 win over Fayette County, a 6-2 win over Newnan, a 5-3 win over Union Grove, a 2-1 win over East Coweta and a 3-2 loss to East Coweta in the region final. Starr’s Mill will open with a game against Redan at 4 p.m. Friday at the Hamilton Complex in Tifton. A win would put them up against the winner of Groves and Coffee at 8 p.m. Friday.

Visit www.thecitizennews.com this weekend for updates.