BAXLEY — Top-ranked defending Class AA state champion Appling County clinched a fourth consecutive “Elite 8” berth with a second round sweep of visiting Pierce County here Tuesday afternoon.
The Lady Pirates (22-1) stretched their winning streak to 14 games and shutout streak to 12 straight games, beating their rival Region 3 mate and 16th-seed Lady Bears (13-12) 8-0 in six innings and 9-0 in five innings to take the best-of-three series.
Appling County also swept the regular season matchup with PCHS winning 13-0 at home August 29 and 5-0 in Bearville September 19. The Lady Pirates, who have won 31 of their last 32 games dating back to last season’s title run, have recorded 20 shutouts through 23 games.
The defending champs, the top seed in the 32team bracket, squares off with eighth-seed Region 2 runner-up Pike County (23-6) Wednesday, October 30 at 11 a.m., at the “Elite 8” in Columbus. The championship game is scheduled for Saturday, November 2 at 1 p.m.
Game 1 No. 1 Appling Co. .....8 No. 16 Lady Bears....0
The host Lady Pirates scored at least one run in each of their six at bats to back the two-hit, 11-strikeout pitching effort of University of Georgia-bound Presley Harrison.
Appling County scored two runs in the first inning against Lady Bears’ starter Carley Sloan (4 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 K, 4 BB) adding single runs in each of the next three innings.
A two-run fifth was followed by a “mercy rule” ending run in the bottom of the sixth against Taylor Tomlinson (1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 K, 1 BB, 1 HBP).
PCHS’s two base hits came consecutively in the first inning after two outs by Alyssa Crump (1-for-3), the lone Lady Bear to not strike out, and Tomlinson (1-for-2).
Bella Delaney was the only other batter to reach for Pierce County when her one-out grounder in the sixth inning ended a stretch of 14 consecutive batters retired.
Game 2 No. 1 Appling Co. .....9 No. 16 Lady Bears....0
Appling County dented the plate three times in the first and followed with three two-run innings over the final four frames in the five inning seriesclinching win.
The Lady Bears doubled their hit total in the final against Harrison (5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 8 K, 2 BB, 1 WP).
Olivia Bennett (1-for-2, walk) had a single in the first, Tomlinson (1for-1, walk) led off the second with a base hit, Sloan (1-for-2) started the third with a hit and Delaney (1-for-3) legged out a two-out, infield hit in the fifth.
Courtesy runner Maelee Childers, inserted for Tomlinson in the fourth inning after a walk, was the only PCHS base runner to reach second in the doubleheader. She advanced to second when Bennett drew a two-out walk in the third.
