Lee County, Worth County seasons end in matching 3-0 losses

Photos by Darrell Roaden, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

COLUMBUS — Different opponents, the same frustrating finish.

Lee County and Worth County saw their softball seasons end Friday afternoon at South Commons Softball Complex, each unable to turn solid pitching into another day at the GHSA state tournament.

South Effingham eliminated Lee County 3-0 in Class 6A, while Morgan County defeated Worth County by the same score in Class 3A. The Lady Trojans finished 31-5. The Lady Rams closed at 29-6.

Both teams had their chances at the plate. Neither could find the hit that changed the afternoon.

For Lee County, Tina Benton kept the game scoreless through four innings before South Effingham pitcher Ward supplied the breakthrough herself, hitting a solo home run to center field in the fifth.

Ward drove in all three South Effingham runs while shutting out the Lady Trojans on four hits. She struck out eight and walked three over seven innings.

Kennady Patrick went 2-for-3, accounting for half of Lee County’s hits, but the Lady Trojans could not bring a runner home.

Benton allowed seven hits and three runs, two earned, over six innings. She struck out four without issuing a walk.

The loss ended a tournament that began with an emphatic comeback. Lee County rallied from a 4-1 deficit to defeat Pope 11-4 in Wednesday’s opener, powered by two home runs from Jaydynne Frisbee and another from Patrick.

A 12-0 loss to Lassiter on Thursday sent the Lady Trojans into the elimination bracket, where South Effingham ended their run.

South Effingham continued to the championship game before falling 5-4 to Creekwood.

Worth County’s final game followed a similarly narrow path, with one early swing giving Morgan County an advantage it never surrendered.

Payton Davis homered to center field in the second inning to open the scoring. She finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

The Lady Rams outhit Morgan County 6-5 and played error-free defense, but Sidney Fischer kept those hits from becoming runs. Fischer pitched a seven-inning shutout, striking out five and walking one.

Ellasyn Gandy led Worth County with two hits.

Laurie Pritchard started for the Lady Rams, allowing four hits and two runs over 3⅓ innings. She struck out five and walked two. Austyn Kate Rucker worked the final 3⅔ innings, surrendering one hit and one run while striking out two and walking one.

Together, they gave Worth County an opportunity to produce another late escape.

A day earlier, the Lady Rams had been six outs from elimination before Ansley Bartley’s two-run single in the sixth inning delivered a 2-1 victory over Rockmart. That comeback kept Worth alive after a 9-6 loss to Brantley County in Wednesday’s opener.

Friday brought no repeat.

Sonoraville ultimately won the Class 3A championship, defeating Appling County 2-0.

Lee County and Worth County finished with a combined 60 victories and trips to Columbus. Their final afternoons offered a harder measure of tournament softball: Both pitched well enough to stay close, but neither could manufacture the runs needed to stay.