Jaydynne Frisbee homers twice; Lady Trojans beat Pope in Columbus

COLUMBUS — Jaydynne Frisbee hit eighth in Lee County’s lineup Wednesday. When the Lady Trojans needed a lift, she delivered twice.

The first baseman hammered a three-run homer in the fifth inning to erase Pope’s lead, then homered again in the seventh as Lee County pulled away for an 11-4 victory at South Commons Softball Complex.

The comeback kept the Lady Trojans (31-3) in the winner’s bracket at the state softball tournament and moved them a step closer to a championship.

Their next obstacle comes from an increasingly familiar place: Marietta.

After eliminating Kell to reach Columbus and beating Pope in their Elite Eight opener, Lee County will face Lassiter (25-4), which defeated Veterans on Wednesday. Lassiter, also nicknamed the Trojans, has beaten Pope twice and Kell once this season.

But before Lee County could turn its attention to another Marietta opponent, it had to dig out of an early hole.

The Lady Trojans scored first on an error in the opening inning, but Pope answered. Ryan Ross’ sacrifice bunt brought home the tying run in the second, and Leah Pearson’s RBI single put the Greyhounds ahead in the third. Pope eventually stretched its advantage to 4-1.

Lee County needed a response, and Frisbee supplied the biggest swing.

After an error brought home a run in the fifth, Frisbee drove a three-run homer over the left-field fence, turning a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 lead.

With one swing, the Lady Trojans had reclaimed control. For the next two innings, though, their margin remained a single run.

Then the offense broke loose.

Frisbee homered to left again in the seventh, giving Lee County breathing room and starting a six-run burst that put the game out of reach. Makinley Duke added an RBI double, Mac Davis drove in two runs with a single and Kennady Patrick capped the inning with a two-run homer to left.

What had been a tense, one-run game became a commanding Lee County lead.

Frisbee finished with four RBIs, while Patrick and Davis each collected multiple hits. Tina Benton led the Lady Trojans’ 12-hit attack with a 3-for-4 performance.

Benton also went the distance in the circle, allowing six hits and four walks while striking out four. Backed by an error-free defense, she held Pope scoreless over the final four innings as her teammates rallied.

That combination — steady pitching, clean defense and timely power — carried Lee County through its first test in Columbus.

Now comes Lassiter, another Marietta team standing between the Lady Trojans and the championship they came to chase.