Lee County softball earns split with Brookwood

LEESBURG — Sydney McLain rounded second base and pumped her fist.

The Lee County High School first baseman ripped a two-run homer against Brookwood in Game 2 of the best-of-three Class AAAAAA state softball playoffs Wednesday afternoon at Lee County High School.

It was just a pair of runs that tied the game, but McLain’s homer ignited a wave of confidence in a Lady Trojan team that seemed given up for dead against powerful Brookwood. After managing just two hits in a 4-0 loss in Game 1, Lee County came back to win Game 2, 7-5, sending Brookwood’s postseason plans into a tailspin at the moment.

The Lady Broncos, who cruised behind ace pitcher and Georgia commit Amanda Ablan until McLain’s blast in the second inning, scrambled to make hotel plans late Wednesday evening for today’s decisive Game 3 at 5 p.m. The winner earns a trip to South Commons Park in Columbus for the state softball tournament that begins next Thursday.

McLain was one of three Lee players to homer in the second game and the Lady Trojans suddenly have newfound momentum.

“The girls made some adjustments from the first to the second game and after seeing her three or four times … take nothing away from (Ablan), but give our girls credit because they responded,” Lee County coach Dwayne Suggs said.

Ablan struck out 10 in Game 1 and dominated in the two-hit shutout. Addison Renfroe beat out an infield single and Kirsten Back had a lazy fly that fell for a hit to account for Lee’s only offense in Game 1.

But the second game was a different story.

And it started with McLain, who helped Lee County believe they could hit the Brookwood star.

“That felt good,” McLain said of her two-run homer. “I’ve never pumped like that going around the bases. I felt like they kind of got down after that.”

McLain’s homer started an avalanche of offense. After the Lady Broncos jumped back ahead at 5-3 in the bottom of the second, a four-run third inning put Lee County ahead for good.

Caitlyn Lawton singled, Renfroe was hit by a pitch and Danielle Davis reached on an error to load the bases. Clegg’s sacrifice fly made it 5-3, then a batter later, Bri Duren’s three-run homer made it 6-5.

With pitcher Chelsea Morrow keeping Brookwood’s offense off-balanced, Clegg added an insurance run with a solo homer in the top of the seventh.

Lawton, Clegg and McLain all went 2 for 4 to lead the offense in Game 2.

With Lee County’s momentum, the Lady Trojans would like nothing better than to make a trip to the state tournament in Columbus. But they know Brookwood stands in the way.

“We’ve got another chance to win,” Suggs said. “But we have work to do.”