No. 2 Lee County heads to state softball tournament with balanced attack

LEESBURG — Porter Butler gets on base. Brylyn Parsons supplies power. Tina Benton can change a game from the pitcher’s circle or the batter’s box.

Getting past Kell, however, required more than individual talent. Lee County needed patience against an elite pitcher, steady defense and the composure to turn small opportunities into enough runs.

That combination has the Lady Trojans headed to Columbus.

No. 2-ranked Lee County, 27-3, opens the Class 6A Elite Eight on Wednesday at the South Commons Softball Complex against Pope of Marietta. The Greyhounds enter at 24-9 after eliminating River Ridge 4-1 and 7-5.

Lee County earned its berth by sweeping Kell 3-0 and 3-2, winning twice against senior Alabama commitment Lyla Morici.

“Beating Kell in two close games showed that our girls are prepared to compete under pressure and find ways to win when the games are on the line,” coach Hannah Spencer said.

The Lady Trojans have several ways to apply that pressure.

Butler leads a lineup capable of producing runs through power, speed and consistent contact. In Lee County’s statistics posted on MaxPreps through Oct. 7, she was batting .560 with a .661 on-base percentage, 47 hits, 13 doubles and 16 stolen bases.

Parsons was hitting .410 with nine home runs and a .892 slugging percentage. Makinley Duke led the team with 33 RBIs, while Kennady Patrick had six home runs and Benton had seven. Izzy Evans was batting .362, and Aubree Spencer owned a .500 on-base percentage.

Those numbers describe a lineup with multiple threats. Against Kell, the Lady Trojans demonstrated that they could also manufacture the runs a difficult game demands.

Morici struck out 17 without issuing a walk across the doubleheader. Lee County kept finding openings.

“We faced elite pitching … in both games and they still found ways to get on base and put pressure on the defense,” Spencer said. “Both games challenged us in different ways, and our players stayed composed, trusted each other, and executed when it mattered most.”

Benton made the first game’s three runs stand up, pitching a complete-game shutout with five strikeouts. She also contributed two hits.

Butler singled home the opening run in the third inning. Duke and Jaylyn Purvis also drove in runs, helping Lee County take control of the series.

The clincher tested the Lady Trojans’ ability to respond.

Duke homered to center field in the second inning, and Parsons brought home another run with a third-inning groundout. Kell answered with two runs in the fourth to erase the lead.

Reese Watkins handled the first four innings, striking out two. Benton returned to the circle in the fifth and pitched three scoreless innings, allowing two hits.

With the score still tied in the sixth, Parsons delivered another run-scoring groundout to put Lee County ahead for good.

Aubree Spencer, Mac Davis, Butler and Duke each collected a hit in the clincher. Lee County turned a double play in each game, giving its pitchers valuable support.

Benton finished the sweep with both victories and 10 scoreless innings.

That pitching partnership will remain central in Columbus. Watkins and Benton led Lee County’s posted Oct. 7 statistics with ERAs of 1.76 and 1.81, respectively.

Spencer expects the double-elimination format to leave her approach largely unchanged. She will continue to trust her pitchers and make decisions according to each game’s circumstances.

The same goes for the lineup and defense. Against a Pope team coming off its own second-round sweep, Lee County will need contributions throughout the roster.

“At this point in the season, every team is good and every team is bringing its best,” Spencer said. “We know we will have to be disciplined at the plate, play solid defense, and take care of the little things to give ourselves a chance to win.”

Her confidence comes from watching how the Lady Trojans handle those responsibilities together.

“I’m super impressed and proud to say that they play hard for each other no matter the situation and it feels good to take a team like this to Columbus!” Spencer said.

Lee County has already shown it can win when runs come in bunches. Against Kell, it proved it could win when every run mattered.

Now the Lady Trojans will try to carry both versions of themselves into the state tournament.