Maybe blondes don’t have more fun: Lee County baseball season ends with heartbreaking loss

LLEESBURG — The blonde-haired playoff magic ran out for Lee County on Thursday afternoon.

After bleaching their hair as a sign of unity and swagger heading into the state playoffs, the Trojans saw their postseason hopes end in heartbreak. Habersham Central’s Callum Spivey blasted a three-run homer over the right field fence in the top of the eighth inning, lifting the Raiders to a 7-4 win in the decisive Game 3 of the opening-round playoff series.

Lee County had taken Game 1 of the series on Wednesday with a dominant 14-5 win, but Habersham Central answered with a 2-1 victory in Game 2 to force the rubber match at Trojan Field.

It appeared senior Durrah Butler had extended the Trojans’ season when he ripped a game-tying RBI single to left field in the bottom of the seventh, scoring Brendan Nash to make it 4-4. With the winning run in scoring position, Weston Bryan drilled a hard ground ball that ricocheted off the pitcher’s leg and rolled directly to the second baseman, who threw him out to end the inning.

“That ball off the pitcher’s leg—it changes everything,” said Lee County head coach Wes Shiver. “If it gets through, we’re dogpiling in the seventh. But that’s baseball.”

Before the Trojans could get another chance at the plate, Habersham Central made theirs count. Two singles off Lee County reliever Logan Mathis set the table for Spivey, who crushed the first pitch he saw over the wall to give the Raiders the lead for good.

“They got the big hits when they needed to,” Shiver said. “You’ve got to tip your hat to a good baseball team that just keeps working and pushing.”

Lee County started fast, scoring three runs in the first inning on singles by Grayson Spears and Cole Lindsey, followed by Bryan’s two-run double to left. The Raiders slowly chipped away, tying the game in the fifth and grabbing a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh before Butler’s heroics sent it to extras.

Mathis was tagged with the loss, pitching 2.2 innings in relief. Lindsey started the game and went 5.1 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, with two walks and two strikeouts.

The loss ends Lee County’s season at 21-12 and marks the end of the high school careers for 12 Trojan seniors: Brendan Nash, Brent Smith, Weston Bryan, Ethan Powell, AJ Rodriguez, Chris Davis, Landon Price, Josh Barnes, Jackson Creech, Luis Fernandez, Collin Howard, and Cole Lindsey.

“We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us,” Shiver said. “But I really like the young group we’ve got coming up. They’re a talented bunch.”

For a team that turned heads with its blonde hair and strong bond, the ending came too soon—but not without a fight.