Ware County’s youthful growing pains continued with the Lady Gators dropping four games surrendering 10 runs or more in each outing.
The Lady Gators (0-8-1 overall, 01 Region 1-AAAA) were swept Saturday, August 24 by visiting Class 6A Camden County falling 10-7 in both games of the doubleheader.
Ware County opened region play Tuesday, August 27 losing 10-2 to visiting Perry in five innings. The Lady Gators closed the week Thursday afternoon dropping a 13-0 home decision to Glynn Academy. The Lady Terrors notched a 5-2 home win August 15 for the season sweep.
WCHS is scheduled to play Wednesday, September 4 at Coffee. The Lady Gators are playing in the Northside-Columbus Invitational tournament Friday, September 6 and Saturday, September 7 in Columbus. Ware County will face Taylor County Friday and Decatur Saturday. A third opponent has not been released.
The Lady Gators are hosting region foe Warner Robins Tuesday, September 10 in a doubleheader with state-ranked Wayne County coming to town Thursday, September 12.
Game 1 Camden County..................10 Lady Gators..........................7
The Lady Wildkittens overcame a 7-2 deficit entering the seventh inning scoring eight runs to notch the victory.
Camden County sent 12 batters to the plate with 10 reaching — seven via a hit (four singles, two doubles) in the rally.
The Lady Gators jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first scoring on a bases loaded walk to Ashlyn Jacobs and a one-out wild pitch with the bases loaded.
The two teams exchanged runs in the second inning with the Lady Wildkittens getting their run against Reagan Middleton (2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 K, 1 BB) on a two-out triple to get to within 2-1. Ware County answered scoring its run on a oneout wild pitch to grab a 3-1 lead.
Camden County pulled to within 3-2 in the third on a two-out, runscoring double.
The Lady Gators put together back-to-back two-run innings in the fifth and sixth to open up a 7-2 lead. Three walks loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth. Molly Smith’s (1-for-4) grounder was misplayed allowing two runs to race home for a three-run advantage.
In the sixth, a walk to Jacobs was followed by a double off the bat of Amberly Padgett (1-for-4). Jacobs scored on a wild pitch with Padgett racing on home Kallie Lairsey’s (1for-2) run-scoring single.
Game 2 Camden County..................10 Lady Gators..........................7
Camden County spotted the Lady Gators. 7-0 lead through two innings in the finale before rallying for the win.
The Lady Wildkittens broke a 7-all tie with a three-run seventh after tying the game with a four-run sixth.
Padgett’s (1-for-4) one-out, RBI grounder in the first inning scored Smith (1-for-4), who opening the inning reaching on a dropped third strike.
Ware County plated six runs in its second at bat in stretching the margin to 7-0 after Mattie Forsyth (6.1 IP, 15 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 1 K, 1 BB) escaped a no-out, bases-loaded situation in the top half of the inning.
The Lady Gators got rolling with two outs and Ella Musgrove (2-for-3) on base with a single. Six consecutive Lady Gators reached.
Forsyth’s run-scoring double kick started the uprising. She advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a throwing error for a 3-0 lead. A walk to Addison Pittman (1-for-2) was followed by consecutive hits from Smith and Kara Coleman (1for-4), the last driving home Pittman.
A second throwing error allowed Smith to trot home as the lead grew to 5-0. Padgett’s (1-for-4) ensuing two-run double capped the uprising.
Camden County started its comeback with a three-run third using two triples and two doubles to do the damage to cut the margin to 7-3. Three consecutive one-out, runscoring singles and a wild pitch plated four runs in the sixth tying the game at 7-all.
A one-out, run-scoring single in the seventh broke the tie. The Lady Wildkittens added a run on an error and finished the comeback with a sacrifice fly.
Perry ..................................10 Lady Gators..........................2
Perry chased home six runs in its first at bat and never looked back in beating the Lady Gators in the region opener for both teams.
The Lady Panthers opened the game with five consecutive singles, two driving home runs, and finished with a tworun single and RBI double. They plated a run in the second on a passed ball to open up a 7-0 advantage.
Ware County got on the board scoring twice in the bottom of the third. A pair of walks, sandwiched around the first two outs, was followed by a runscoring single by Jacobs (1-for-3), the lone hit for the Lady Gators. A bases loaded walk to Lairsey forced home the second run.
Perry finished out the scoring with three runs in the top of the fourth on three-run-scoring doubles.
Glynn Academy......13 Lady Gators.............0
Visiting Glynn Academy scored in each of its four trips to the plate in completing the season sweep.
The Lady Terrors plated three runs in the first inning with a two-run triple and ensuing single. They pushed the lead to 7-0 with four runs in the second scoring on consecutive run-scoring singles and a two-run single before the first out of the inning.
Glynn Academy broke the game open plating five runs in the third frame scoring four of the five runs on Lady Gator miscues. A two-out, run-scoring triple in the fourth rounded out the scoring.
Middleton and Musgrove collected Ware County’s base hits.
