Fifth-ranked Pierce County stretched its winning streak to four games with road wins against Class 7A schools Lowndes and Camden County.
The Lady Bears (13-3 overall, 3-2 Region 3-AAA) began a three-game work slate with a wild 16-11 victory in eight innings Tuesday, September 8 in Valdosta over Lowndes (5-9), losers in eight of its last 12 games.
PCHS completed the season sweep of Camden County (7-8) Thursday, September 10 beating the Lady Wildkittens 43 on the road in Kingsland. The Lady Bears posted a 5-2 victory August 18 over Camden County in Bearville.
Pierce County’s Region 3-AAA makeup game Saturday, September 12 at Brantley County will have to be rescheduled after the game was halted in the bottom of the fourth inning tied at 2-all. No makeup date has been announced.
The Lady Bears traveled to Hazlehurst Monday, September 14 to face Class AA 10th-ranked Jeff Davis. Region foe Tattnall County visited Tuesday, September 15. PCHS makes the trip to Reidsville Thursday, September 17 for the series finale.
Pierce County squares off against current top-ranked Appling County Tuesday, September 22 in Baxley at 6 p.m. The series shifts Thursday, September 24 to Bearville for a 6 p.m. encounter.
No. 5 Lady Bears.........................16 Lowndes ..........................11, 8 Inn.
VALDOSTA — Kaylee Figueroa’s eighth-inning grand slam capped a sixrun rally lifting PCHS to a come-from-behind victory here over Lowndes.
The Lady Bears battled back from a 6-2 deficit through four innings scoring eight runs over the final three innings to take a 10-6 lead. The Lady Vikings plated four runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 10-apiece to force an extra inning.
After Caren Drew was placed on second to start the eighth inning, Shelby Braddy (2-for-5) blooped a first-pitch single to center putting runners on the corners. Bailey Barboza (2-for-4, double) followed two pitches later with a run-scoring single breaking the tie giving Pierce County an 11-10 lead.
After Maelee Childers (2-for-4) legged out a sacrifice bunt loading the bases, Lanie Mai (4-for-5, three stolen bases) lined a run-scoring single plating Braddy up the margin to 12-10.
Following the first out, Figueroa (3-for-6, double, homer, three stolen bases) blasted a grand slam homer, her fourth dinger of the year, off a 1-0 offering swelling the advantage to 16-10.
Lowndes got one run back in the bottom of the eighth against Braddy (2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 K, 0 BB) The Lady Bears scored single runs in each of their first two at bats. Mai raced home when Figueroa’s grounder to second was booted.
After Lowndes stranded two in the first against Barboza (6 IP, 12 H, 10 R, 6 ER, 1 K, 1 BB, 2 HBP), PCHS doubled its advantage to 2-0 in the second. Barboza lined a leadoff double and scored on Mai’s one-out single.
The Lady Vikings sliced the deficit in half in the bottom of the second on a one-out single, tied the game with a run in the third with a two-out single, and took a 6-2 lead in the fourth scoring four times.
Pierce County cut the deficit to 6-4 with two runs in the top of the fifth. Figueroa lined a leadoff single, stole second and advanced to third when a Leeanna Davis (1-for-4) grounder was misplayed.
The pair pulled off a double steal with Figueroa swiping home pulling the Lady Bears to within 6-3. Davis came around to score on consecutive groundouts, the last by Drew, cutting the margin to 6-4.
PCHS scored a run in the sixth to get to within 65. After Davis was hit by a two-out pitch, a Parker Sinclair (3-for-6) double was followed by a passed ball.
The Lady Bears capitalized on three Lowndes’ errors in the seventh to score five times in grabbing a 106 lead.
Barboza walked with one out and was removed for courtesy runner Lily Wright. Childers followed one pitch later with a single. Mai’s ensuing bunt was thrown away for a two-base error allowing both runners to score putting Pierce County in front 7-6.
Mai raced home from second when a Riley Chambless bunt was thrown away for a two-run advantage. Figueroa doubled ahead of Davis getting hit by a pitch with two outs.
Sinclair lined a runscoring single plating Figueroa extending the lead to 9-6. Drew’s ensuing grounder was mishandled with Davis scoring from second for a 10-6 lead.
Lowndes would quickly respond in the bottom of the seventh. Consecutive singles to start the inning were followed by a threerun homer closing the margin to 10-9. An ensuing triple was followed by a sacrifice fly tying the game.
No. 5 Lady Bears......4 Camden County .......3 KINGSLAND — Sinclair’s two-out, run-scoring single in the top of the sixth inning gave Pierce County the lead for good in holding off the Lady Wildkittens.
Tied at 2-all, Chambless (1-for-1, double, two stolen bases) drew a leadoff walk to set up the scoring. She stole second and moved to third after tagging up on Figueroa’s flyout to center. Following the second out, Sinclair (1-for-3) lined a first-pitch single to right plating Chambless for a 32 lead.
The Lady Bears added a run in the seventh for a 42 advantage. Sofia White (1-for-1) led off with a bunt single and raced around to third on a throwing error. She scored on Cadence Coldren’s (1-for-4) one-out grounder.
Camden County sliced the deficit in half scoring on a two-out double against White (2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, ER, 1 K, 1 BB, 1 HBP), who relieved Barboza (5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 K, 1 BB) to start the sixth.
PCHS scored in it first at bat. Mai (1-for-3, two stolen bases) was hit by the second pitch of the game, stole second and moved to third on a passed ball. Chambless doubled to left-center scoring Mai for a 1-0 lead.
The Lady Wildkittens pulled even in the third inning scoring after two outs and nobody on base.
PCHS pushed across a run in the fourth for a 2-1 lead. Coldren opened the frame with a single and was removed for pinchrunner Wright, who advanced to second on Mai’s sacrifice and on to third on the second of back-to-back walks to Chambless and Figueroa. Davis executed a sacrifice bunt scoring Wright for the one-run advantage.
Camden County tied the game at 2-all in the bottom of the fifth.
No. 5 Lady Bears......2 Lady Herons ............2
CANEY BAY — Brantley County was threatening to break a 2-all tie in the bottom of the fourth inning when a thunderstorm halted play against PCHS.
The Lady Herons scored single runs in the first two innings against Barboza (3.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R 2 ER, 2 K, 0 BB) in taking a 2-0 lead.
The Lady Bears broke through in the third against Edie Lowther (4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 7 K, 1 BB).
Childers (1-for-1) blooped a leadoff single to center and raced to third on Mai’s (1-for-1) double. Chambless executed a suicide squeeze scoring Childers with the first run.
A double steal with Mai and Chambless was foiled when Mai was tagged out at the plate. A Davis (1-for-2) two-out single plated Chambless tying the score at 2-all.
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