Worth County sweeps past North Hall

SYLVESTER — Kara Lewis waited on the right pitch, then put a good swing on an outside delivery.

Her contact was a two-run blast to give Worth County a commanding three-run lead in Game 2 of the Class AAA best-of-three Georgia High School Association second round softball playoff series against North Hall.

It helped the Lady Rams to a 10-2 victory and a sweep, sending Worth County back to the state tournament in Columbus for the second straight season. The Game 2 victory followed a 6-2 win in the first game.

The double-elimination tournament featuring the final eight teams will begin Oct. 27 at the South Commons Complex.

Worth County used the long ball to send North Hall packing, then Taylor Layfield’s dominating pitching helped spark the Lady Rams. They combined for four homers in the series, including a pair of solo shots in the first game from Layfield who went 4 for 4. The junior finished 6 for 7 at the plate.

But Lewis, batting in the No. 9 spot in the lineup, clearly put the Lady Rams in position for a sweep with her two-run shot in Game 2.

“I was just think base hit,” said the 5-foot Lewis. “We had a runner on, but hitting a homer made it nicer.”

The Lady Rams have never made consecutive trips to the state tournament. That changed Wednesday night.

“Our girls feel like they’re ready,” said Worth County head coach Kaleb Hathcock. “They are not going to be intimidated and this time, we feel like we belong.”

North Hall (13-10) cut Worth County’s 3-0 lead in the second game by pushing home a run in the second inning on an RBI bunt single from Carson Negley. But that was as close as the Lady Trojans could get.

The Lady Rams added four more in the top of the fifth when McKenzie Newell’s single scored a pair of runs, then Caroline Newton’s RBI double added another run to make it 6-1. A wild pitch later in the inning made it 7-1.

North Hall’s Ashlyn Brewster scored on an error in the fifth to make it 7-2, but Worth County’s Kailey Parr smashed a three-run shot in the sixth to half what little momentum North Hall had gained. The game was called after six innings.

Layfield was masterful in both games, holding a powerful lineup to a combined four runs on 11 hits.

“Taylor was masterful in the circle today,” Hathcock said. “With a three-run lead and her in the circle, I always feel pretty good.”

In Game 1, North Hall had its chances, grabbing a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Kailee Dyer scored on a wild pitch. But Worth County quickly answered to tie in the bottom of the first on Taylor White’s RBI double.

It stayed that way until the fifth when Niki Carver reached an error, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Brewster’s RBI single to make it 2-1.

But Worth County again answered and it started with Layfield. She hit the first of her two solo homers in the fifth to tie, then the Lady Rams plated three more runs on a pair of errors and an RBI triple from Newton to take control.

Layfield then added an insurance run in the sixth with another solo shot.