BARNESVILLE, Ga. — The Lady Redskins got revenge last Thursday as they defeated Lamar County in the Sweet 16 to move on to the next round in Columbus.
Social Circle advanced to the Sweet 16 with a series sweep over Washington County in the first round of the Class A-Division I playoffs.
This set up the Lady Redskins to face Lamar County, the team that defeated Social Circle in the Region 4A-Division I title game in early October.
Lady Redskins bats’ stay hot in Game One
After putting up 15 runs in both games of their first round sweep over the Lady Hawks, Social Circle did it again in its first game against the Lady Trojans.
The Lady Redskins came out of the gate swinging as they ripped off five consecutive hits to leadoff the game. This resulted in the team taking a 3-0 lead on RBI hits from Emily Turner and Addyson Stracner.
Aubrey Digby added another run on a sacrifice fly before the inning could come to a close.
The momentum wore off fast however, as the Lady Trojans answered in their first go at the plate.
Following a RBI single from Kylee Kington, Keelie Smallwood hit a two-run home run to trim the lead down to 4-3.
After Lamar County seemingly grabbed the momentum, Social Circle kept its foot on the pedal.
For the second consecutive inning, the Lady Redskins began with five straight hits.
Laura-Kate Tully scored a pair on a RBI triple before Stracner got another RBI single.
Savannah Frachiseur scored a run on a RBI groundout to close out the inning as the Lady Redskins held a 8-4 advantage.
Lamar County was held to a one-two-three frame to follow, which allowed for Social Circle to keep it moving with additional runs.
Tully did more damage in the third with a RBI double into left field. Stracner followed with her third RBI knock of the day as she scored a pair on a RBI single.
Stracner’s two-run knock gave the Lady Redskins a 11-3 lead heading into the bottom of the third inning.
Lamar County got one run back in a big way in the ensuing frame as Hailey Stanley sent a solo home run over the right field wall.
However, both teams ended up going scoreless for the next two innings before Social Circle broke it back open in the top of the sixth.
With two runners on base, Frachisuer’s groundout scored Tully. In the next at bat, Annika Lott sent a RBi single into right field.
The inning rounded up with a two-run double from Averie Lilly to extend the lead to 15-4 ahead of the bottom of the sixth.
Despite Stanley getting her second round-tripper of the day on a leadoff home run, the Lady Trojans were unable to manage the comeback as they fell 15-6 in game one to the Lady Redskins.
Multiple Lady Redskins made an impact in the box score, but it was Tully and Stracner that led the way.
The pair combined for seven hits, seven runs and six RBIs in the first game of the series.
Turner handled the pitching duties in game one and pitched a complete game. The senior allowed six earned runs but also struck out nine Lady Trojans.
Social Circle maintains edge in Game Two to advance
Game two was a low scoring affair, but the Lady Redskins once again found a way as they captured both the sweep, and the revenge over Lamar County.
Although the Lady Trojans managed to get more hits than Social Circle (10-8), the Lady Redskins had the RBI knocks when they counted the most.
When the game began, it was Lamar County that struck first.
The Lady Trojans tallied a pair of RBI doubles in the first inning off Social Circle’s Lexi Moore. Those hits, from Smallwood and Stanley, gave the Lady Trojans a 2-0 edge early.
However, Social Circle tied it almost immediately.
Once again, it was Tully and Stracner leading the rally.
Following a one-out single from Tully, Stracner scored her all the way from first base on a double into left field. Frahciseur got an RBI double of her own to score Starcner and tie the game at 2-2 ahead of the second inning.
Moore got out of the ensuing inning unscathed to put Social Circle back at the plate.
This allowed for the Lady Redskins to grab the lead that ultimately sent them to the next round.
After a walk and a single to leadoff the inning, Stracner continued her strong day with a two-run triple to score Anniston Jenkins and Kyla Head.
A sacrifice bunt from Selah Adams scored another as Social Circle led 5-2 going into the next inning.
Moore went to pitch two more scoreless frames before the Lady Trojans managed one run in the fifth inning — a steal of home from Caitlynn Whitaker.
For good measure, Social Circle answered almost immediately, and did it in the same way.
With two runners in scoring position, Lady Redskins managed to steal home twice back-to-back to extend the lead to 8-3 and ultimately win the game.
Stracner led the way offensively with a two-hit performance to go with three RBIs.
Moore allowed 10 hits on the mound, but went the entire seven innings and only allowed three earned runs with five strikeouts.
Looking ahead
After bringing out the brooms for the second consecutive series, Social Circle will now take the trip down to Columbus for the Elite Eight.
What awaits it is a series with Gordon Lee Lady Trojans (29-3). Similar to the Lady Redskins, Gordon Lee is entering the series coming off back-to-back sweeps in the first two rounds.
The two teams collide in their first game of the Elite Eight Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 1 p.m. at the South Commons Softball Complex.
