Pierce County wrapped up its regular season slipping past a pair of Class A DII teams in the final week of the season.
The third-ranked Lady Bears (18-8), winners in 12 of their last 14 games, scored twice in the eighth inning to beat Class A DII third-ranked ECI 3-1 in Twin City Tuesday, October 7. The Lady Bulldogs (21-4), the Region 3 champion, entered having won 17 of their last 18 games.
PCHS rallied to clip Wilcox County (13-9) 5-4 Thursday, October 9. The Lady Patriots, Region 4’s runner-up behind Wheeler County, dropped their final two games following a nine-game winning streak.
All five Region 3-AA teams earned berths into the state tournament.
The Lady Bears, who finished third in the region behind secondranked region champion Appling County (14-4) and top-ranked runner-up Cook (22-4), host 20thseed Therrell (10-5) in a best-of-three series beginning today (Wednesday, October 15) with a doubleheader. An “if” game is set for Thursday, October 16.
The winner advances to face the winner of fourththird seed Region 6 champion South Atlanta (14-1-1) and regionmate Salem (6-14).
The Lady Pirates, the overall No. 1 seed in the field of 32 teams, is hosting 32nd-seed Glenn Hills, which finished fourth in Region 4. Cook, seeded ninth, is hosting ninth-ranked and 24thseed Coahulla Creek (1117).
Crisp County (9-12), seeded 21st, travels to 12th-seed Burke County (11-14), the Region 4 runner-up. Tattnall County (2-17), losers of 10 straight and seeded 30th, goes to Region 2 champion and third-seed Morgan County (17-8), ranked fourth.
No. 3 Lady Bears .....3 No. 3 ECI .................1
TWIN CITY — Kaylee Figueroa ripped a two-out, run-scoring double in the eighth inning breaking a 1--all tie as Pierce County escaped with the win over the Lady Bulldogs.
Tied at 1-all over the last three innings, PCHS entered the eighth putting ghost runner Harper Larson at second. After the first two batters were retired with Larson moving to on a groundout, Figueroa (1-for-3) lined a 21 pitch to left for the double.
An ensuing walk to Carley Sloan (2-for-2) was followed by Lanie Mai’s (1-for-4) infield hit with Figueroa racing home for a two-run advantage.
Taylor Tomlinson (3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 K, 1 BB, 1 HBP) escaped a no out, first and second situation after hitting the leadoff batter with the ghost runner at second. Tomlinson snared a line drive and threw to second for a double play. She induced a game-ending groundout two pitches later.
ECI broke up a scoreless game with a third inning run against Sloan (5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 K, 0 BB, 2 WP). The Lady Bulldogs got a leadoff single, sacrifice bunt and a twoout, run-scoring single for a short-lived 1-0 lead.
The Lady Bears, who left Sloan standing after a two-out double in the second and Maelee Childers (3-for-3) in the third after a one-out single, responded with the tying run in the top of the fourth. Tomlinson (1-for-4) laced a leadoff double and eventually scored on Sloan’s two-out single off a 1-2 pitch.
Pierce County put the go-ahead run on in the fifth on Childers’ one-out single. The Lady Bears left two on in the sixth with Parker Sinclair (1-for-4) reaching on a one-out single and Sloan drawing a two-out walk. Childers also reached in the seventh with a oneout single.
The Lady Bulldogs’ lone threat over the final three innings came with back-to-back, two-out singles in the sixth.
No. 3 Lady Bears.................5 Wilcox County ....................4
BEARVILLE — The Lady Bears spotted visiting Wilcox County a 30 lead before rallying plating five of the final six runs for the victory.
The Lady Patriots jumped out to a three-run lead in the first inning against Sloan (7 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 K, 1 BB). Wilcox County scored a run on a two-out single followed by a two-base fielding error allowing two runs to score.
PCHS cut the deficit to 3-2 in the bottom of the third inning. Eva Horne was hit by a 1-1 pitch leading off the inning. Two batters later and with one out, Olivia Bennett (1-for-4) hammered a first-pitch two-run homer to center, her teamleading seventh of the season.
Wilcox County got one run back in the top of the fourth with a oneout solo homer extending the margin out to 4-2.
The Lady Bears responded with single runs over the next three innings in taking a 5-4 lead into the seventh.
Figueroa (1-for-2) led off the bottom of the inning with a single with Sloan following with a walk. Figueroa and courtesy runner Zoe O’Berry moved up a base on Caren Drew’s fly ball to right. Mai (1-for-2) followed with a sacrifice fly to left cutting the deficit to 4-3.
PCHS evened the score in its half of the fifth. A fielder’s choice by Bennett followed a walk to Mai. Bennett stole second and moved over to third on an error on the play. She scored when Larson (2for-2) singled on the ensuing pitch tying the score at 4-all.
Mai led off the sixth with a single to center, stole second and was sacrificed to third by Horne. Mai raced home on a two-out wild pitch with what proved to be the winning run.
Sloan surrendered a two-out single in the seventh stranding the tying run with an infield pop for the final out.
