CANEY BAY — Brantley County’s dreams of playing and winning the Class A DI state softball title were crushed by visiting Armuchee here Wednesday.
The 21st-seed Lady Indians (20-10) upset the ninth-ranked and 12thseed Lady Herons (18-10) of Region 1, who entered on a 10-game winning streak, with an October 22 first round sweep winning 2-0 and 4-1.
Armuchee, a member of Region 7 hailing from Rome, advances to face fifth-seed Social Circle, who ousted Region 1 member Worth County (11-21) winning 7-2 and 10-3.
Three of Region 1’s six representatives in the field advanced to the second round. Third-ranked region champion Bacon County (20-4), a four seed, swept 29th-seed Temple winning 6-1 and 7-3. The Lady Red Raiders host 13th-seed East Laurens, who needed three games to beat 20th-seed Swainsboro.
Jeff Davis (22-10), seeded 15th, knocked off Bleckley County 5-0 and 14-3. The Lady Yellow Jackets travel to secondseed Bremen, who blanked Commerce twice.
Thomasville (21-11), seeded 17th, turned back 16th-seed Model after falling 9-6 in the series opener. The Lady Bulldogs followed with 10-5 and 145 victories to advance to meet top-seed Elbert County, who belted 32ndseed Putnam County by a combined 34-0 score.
Berrien (11-22) was the third member of the region to fall. The Lady Rebels lost to seventh-seed ACE Charter 8-7 in the third and deciding game. Berrien lost 9-1 in the series opener before bouncing back with a 12-11 victory in Game 2.
Game 1 No. 21 Armuchee......2 No. 12 Lady Herons..0
The Lady Indians’ Aubrey McConkey tossed a no-hitter in the series opener fanning 15 BCHS batters.
Chelsea Turner allowed just three hits to Armuchee over seven innings. She finished with 12 strikeouts and walked one. Turner allowed one earned run, a towering solo homer to McConkey.
Brantley County had just four base runners with walks to Sydnee Davis (first inning walk, hit by pitch in sixth), Jayden Lewis (walk in second) and Reagan Mclain (walk in fifth).
McConkey blasted her homer leading off the fourth inning on a 1-0 offering from Turner breaking up a scoreless game.
Armuchee scratched out an insurance run in the seventh. A leadoff single, an error and a groundout moved the runner to third. She scored on an error.
Game 2 No. 21 Armuchee .....4 No. 12 Lady Herons ..1
Armuchee rode the dominated pitching effort of McConkey to finish off the sweep of the Lady Herons.
She went the distance in Game 2 allowing five hits. McConkey fanned 10 and walked one finishing the series with 25 strikeouts, four walks and a hit batter on 216 pitches.
Brantley County’s Reagan Mclain surrendered just three hits in her complete game performance finishing with nine strikeouts, three walks and all four runs unearned.
The duo of Turner and Mclain allowed just six Lady Indian hits. They combined for 21 strikeouts and issued four walks.
Lydia Anderson (2-for-3) spoiled a second no-hitter quickly lining the second pitch of the game to center for a single. Anderson stole second and third scoring on a throwing error by the Lady Indians’ catchers for a 1-0 lead.
Lewis (2-for-3) led off the BCHS second with a single and was sacrificed to second by Sydney Page. Lewis was stranded out third following Chloe John’s ensuing sacrifice bunt.
Anderson reached in the third with a one-out bloop double.
Armuchee broke through in the bottom of the third scoring two runs in taking the lead for good at 2-1. Three Lady Heron errors in the inning proved costly. The first two put runners on with the third scoring a run followed by a run-scoring grounder.
Lewis was stranded in the fourth after reaching on a one-out base hit. Pinch-hitter Braylee Grant drew a one-out walk in the fifth.
A one-out error by the Lady Herons set up a tworun bottom of the fifth. The error was followed by a walk and a sacrifice bunt putting runners at second and third. A passed ball plated the first run with a single driving home the second for a 4-1 advantage.
Turner’s (1-for-3) twoout single in the sixth proved to be Brantley County’s final hit and base runner in the series.
