Lee County softball wins 12th straight, now ranked No. 3

LEESBURG — The September sun isn’t the only thing running hot in Southwest Georgia.

So are the Lee County Lady Trojans.

Playing through the afternoon heat Thursday, No. 3 Lee County overwhelmed Northside in both games of a doubleheader, winning 10-0 and 19-1 to extend its winning streak to 12 games.

The Lady Trojans haven’t lost since opening day.

Now 12-1, Lee County has combined strong pitching and nearly flawless defense with an offense that, as head coach Hannah Spencer points out, can seemingly come from anywhere in the lineup.

“Being 12-1 with a 12-game win streak is a great start, but we know we still have a lot of tough competition ahead,” Spencer said. “What I love most about this team is that it’s not just one or two kids carrying us. We’re getting contributions up and down the lineup, 1-14.”

Thursday provided plenty of evidence.

Kennady Patrick drove in four runs in the opener, Makinley Duke pitched a two-hit shutout and hit an inside-the-park home run, and Mac Davis and Porter Butler had two hits apiece.

Then Lee County turned to Reese Watkins in the circle for the second game and got four hits, five runs and four RBIs from the bottom portion of the batting order in a 19-1 rout.

Patrick put an exclamation point on the opener.

Lee County led 7-0 when she launched a three-run homer to left in the sixth inning, ending the game with four RBIs. She had also put the Lady Trojans on the scoreboard with a second-inning sacrifice bunt.

Lee County broke the game open with five runs in the third. Davis delivered an RBI single, Jaydynne Frisbee drew a bases-loaded walk and Izzy Evans brought home another run on a fielder’s choice as the Lady Trojans built a 6-0 advantage.

Duke made it 7-0 an inning later with an inside-the-park homer.

That was considerably more offense than she needed in the circle.

Duke went all six innings, allowing only two hits while striking out five. Lillian Forrester and Anai’jah McClendon had Northside’s only hits.

The Lady Trojans also drew nine walks and stole four bases. Patrick, Reese Watkins and Frisbee each walked twice.

If the first game demonstrated Lee County’s pitching, the second showcased its offensive depth.

The Lady Trojans scored nine runs in the first inning and 10 more in the second.

Aubree Spencer, Kinley Shepard and Jaylyn Purvis — hitting near the bottom of the order — combined with others in the lower half to help ignite the rout. The trio combined for four hits, five runs and four RBIs.

Purvis doubled home two runs in the first, while Patrick singled home another. Duke and Davis delivered sacrifice flies, and Shepard, Butler and Brylyn Parsons drew run-scoring walks as Lee County sent batter after batter to the plate.

There was little relief for Northside in the second.

Shepard and Spencer drove home runs before Butler delivered the biggest hit, a three-run double. Davis added another sacrifice fly, Frisbee singled home two and Shepard added an RBI single.

Butler finished with three RBIs, while Patrick and Purvis each had two hits. Parsons walked three times, and Patrick and Parsons each stole multiple bases as Lee County finished with nine steals.

Watkins handled the rest.

The right-hander allowed one hit and one unearned run over three innings, striking out two and walking one.

The two games illustrated what has carried Lee County from an opening-day loss to one of the hottest starts in Georgia.

“Our defense has been near perfect, and our pitching staff has been outstanding,” Spencer said. “When you can pitch it, defend it, and have that many kids contributing offensively, you give yourself a pretty good chance to win.”

Twelve consecutive victories have also pushed Lee County to No. 3 in the state rankings.

But Spencer isn’t interested in having her team admire the streak.

“We just want to keep getting better and stay hungry,” she said, “because the biggest games are still ahead of us.”

Next comes a trip to Tift County.

And the Lady Trojans will head there as one of the hottest teams in the state — regardless of what the thermometer says.