Seventh-seed PCHS squared off Monday against rival 10th-seed Brantley County
BEARVILLE — Seventh- seed Pierce County continued its first round success here Monday sweeping visiting 26thseed Franklin County in the first round of the Class AAA playoffs.
The Lady Bears (22-7), ranked sixth in the final regular season poll and winners in six of their last seven games, beat the Lady Lions (10-20), who dropped 10 of the final 11 games, 2-1 in Game 1 and 13-3 in five innings in Game 2 October 12.
PCHS, which has advanced to the second round in 15 of the last 16 seasons, hosted regionmate Brantley County (169) Monday, October 19 in a doubleheader with the “if” game scheduled for Tuesday, October 20.
The 10th-seed Lady Herons eliminated overmatched 23rd-seed South Atlanta (17-10) winning 15-0 and 16-0 with a pair of three-inning nohitters.
Region 3 champion and unbeaten Appling County, the top-seed, blanked 32nd-seed Thomson 12-0 and 8-0. The Lady Pirates face 17th-seed Hart County, which beat 16thseed Washington County 12-0 and 9-3.
Fifth-seed Toombs County knocked out 28thseed Ringgold winning 1-0 and 12-2. The Lady Bulldogs face 12th-seed Stephens County, which eased past 21st-seed Burke County by the scores of 14-0 and 3-1.
Tattnall County, seeded 27th, was the lone Region 3 member to be eliminated falling to sixth-seed Pike County 15-0 and 190. The Lady Pirates will host 11th-seed Lumpkin County, a 7-6 and 10-5 winner over 22nd-seed Murray County. Game 1 No. 7 Lady Bears ......2 No. 26 Franklin Co. ..1
PCHS’s Kaylee Figueroa raced home from third on a two-out error in the third inning with what proved to be the gamewinning run in the series opener against Franklin County.
The Lady Bears grabbed an early 1-0 lead in their first at bat. Lanie Mai was hit by the first pitch, the first of four drilled by Franklin County, of the inning, stole second, moved to third on a passed ball, and scored on Maelee Childers’s (1-for-4) ensuing single.
After stranding three runners over the first two innings against Bailey Barboza (7 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 K, 1 BB), Franklin County evened the score at 1-apiece with a run in the third frame.
A leadoff single came around to score on a twoout, first-pitch single that followed a sacrifice bunt and a line out.
PCHS responded with the final run of the game in the bottom of the inning. Figueroa (1-for-2) lined a first-pitch, leadoff single and advanced to second on Parker Sinclair’s groundout.
Figueroa tagged and advanced to third Shelby Braddy’s fly ball to right. Figueroa continued her journey home when the Lady Lions’ third baseman was unable to field the throw from right for a 2-1 lead.
The Lady Bears stranded runners at second and third in the fourth after a leadoff double by Riley Chambless (2for-2) and Mai reaching on a one-out fielder’s choice and theft of second.
Franklin County left two standing in the fifth after back-to-back, twoout singles.
PCHS and the Lady Lions would take turns leaving one on base over the next inning and a half. Cadence Coldren (2-for-3) singled with two outs for the Lady Bears in the bottom of the fifth.
Barboza pitched around a one-out error in the top of the sixth. Chambless led off the bottom of the inning getting hit by a pitch.
Franklin County opened the seventh with consecutive infield hits. Pierce County turned a 5U-3 double play and ended the opener with a routine grounder to escape.
Game 2 No. 7 Lady Bears.....13 No. 26 Franklin Co...3
Coldren belted a pair to two-run doubles and added an RBI single sparking the Pierce County offense in a seriesclinching victory in the nightcap.
Coldren (3-for-4) drove two runs in the first, two in the third and a final run on a single in the fourth. Childers led the 11-hit attack going 4-for-4. Mai swiped four of the Lady Bears’ 10 stolen bases pushing her season total to 41 thefts.
PCHS plated four runs in the first inning and followed with three consecutive three-run rallies in the third, fourth and fifth frames to pull away for the “mercy rule” win.
Photo By HEATHER DIERINGER The Lady Bears’ fourrun inning started with Mai reaching on the first of seven Franklin County errors. Childers followed Mai’s first stolen base of the game with an infield hit putting runners on the corners.
Mai scored on Figueroa’s (1-for-3) fielder’s choice grounder. Childers would also score with Figueroa ending up at second as the ball was thrown around the infield. Sinclair (2-for-4) singled Figueroa to third and was lifted for courtesy runner Kabela Reddick, who stole second. Coldren’s ensuing double doubled the lead to 4-0.
The Lady Lions responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning on a two-out, two-run homer off Sofia White (3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 K, 3 BB) cutting the deficit in half to 4-2.
PCHS started widening the margin with a threerun third to extend the lead to 7-2. Childers started the inning with an infield hit and stole second.
Sinclair’s one-out single was followed by a Coldren two-run double scoring Childers and Reddick, courtesy running for Sinclair, for a 6-2 advantage. After Coldren stole third, she scored on a Leeanna Davis sacrifice fly for a five-run margin.
The Lady Bears chased home three runs in the fourth to grow the lead to 10-2. Mai reached on a leadoff error, stole second and third, and scored on a Childers base hit.
Childers moved up on a passed ball and raced home on Figueroa’s double. Coldren capped the inning with a one-out, run-scoring single to build an eight-run cushion.
Pierce County pushed the advantage to 13-2 with a three-run fifth. Harper Larson was hit by a 2-1 offering leading off the inning. After pinch-runner Malia White stole second and moved to third on Reddick’s sacrifice bunt, Mai legged out a run-scoring infield hit for a 11-2 lead.
Mai stole second and took third when the throw to second was misplayed. The throw to third was also misplayed allowing Mai to score.
Childers followed with a single, stole second, advanced to third on an error and scored on Sinclair’s one-out groundout.
The Lady Lions plated a run in the bottom of the fifth on the third of three singles against Barboza (2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 K, 0 BB).
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