EC splits with Marietta in playoff series - May 2, 2015
Carson Balliew went 3-for-3 with two RBIs while Jaquez Williams drilled a grand slam to lead the East Coweta Indians to an 11-1 five-inning win Thursday over the Marietta Blue Devils in the second game of their first state AAAAAA playoff series.
The win improves the Indians’ record to 19-7 and set up a deciding game three Friday night in Sharpsburg after dropping game one by a 6-2 count.
In the nightcap, the game was scoreless in the top of the second inning when the Indians scored three times to take the lead.
Cary Holloway and Nate Gick reached on walks and advanced into scoring position as Garrett Bean grounded out to second base before Balliew followed with a single past the second baseman that brought both runners home.
Zack Bruce ran for Balliew and advanced to second on a wild pitch before coming home on a single by Nick Pippin.
The Blue Devils, 12-18 on the season and the fourth seed from Region 4-AAAAAA, threatened to rally in the bottom of the frame with two runners on base and one out against Indians’ starter Thomas Leone, but he was able to get out of trouble with a pair of strikeouts.
Marietta got on the board in the bottom of the third but EC responded in the top of the fourth inning as Devonte Brown had a bases loaded walk while Austen Russell had a two-run single in a four-run frame.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Indians threaded to add to the cushion as Balliew singled, Ethan Darrow walked and Pippin was hit by a pitch but a force play and a line drive caught by the Blue Devils’ shortstop almost thwarted the scoring attempt.
However, with one swing the Indians added to the score as Williams drilled a 1-0 offering over the right center field fence.
Leone, who allowed six hits and recorded seven strikeouts in the game, ran into trouble in the bottom of the frame as he faced a bases loaded situation with one out but the lefthander recovered and ended the game by retiring the next two batters on strikeouts.
In the opener, the Indians found themselves in an early hole as the Blue Devils scored three runs against Indians’ starter Tyler Exley as five of the first seven batters reached base.
Exley allowed two batters of three batters to reach in the top of the second and was replaced by Mason Meyer who gave up a run scoring single but retired the next five batters that he faced.
The Indians rallied in the bottom of the fourth inning as Williams was hit by a pitch and came home on a triple by Holloway who scored a run with one out as a ball hit by Darrow was mishandled by the Blue Devils’ third baseman.
Holding the Blue Devils in check through most of the game, Meyer finally ran out of gas in the top of the seventh inning as he allowed three consecutive hits and a run before departing in favor of Brian Oliver who retired the side after an infield error allowed another run to score.
The margin was enough for Marietta starter Evan Steele who allowed five hits in seven innings and had 13 strikeouts while also going 2-for-4 at the plate with a pair of RBIS.
The win improves the Indians’ record to 19-7 and set up a deciding game three Friday night in Sharpsburg after dropping game one by a 6-2 count.
In the nightcap, the game was scoreless in the top of the second inning when the Indians scored three times to take the lead.
Cary Holloway and Nate Gick reached on walks and advanced into scoring position as Garrett Bean grounded out to second base before Balliew followed with a single past the second baseman that brought both runners home.
Zack Bruce ran for Balliew and advanced to second on a wild pitch before coming home on a single by Nick Pippin.
The Blue Devils, 12-18 on the season and the fourth seed from Region 4-AAAAAA, threatened to rally in the bottom of the frame with two runners on base and one out against Indians’ starter Thomas Leone, but he was able to get out of trouble with a pair of strikeouts.
Marietta got on the board in the bottom of the third but EC responded in the top of the fourth inning as Devonte Brown had a bases loaded walk while Austen Russell had a two-run single in a four-run frame.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Indians threaded to add to the cushion as Balliew singled, Ethan Darrow walked and Pippin was hit by a pitch but a force play and a line drive caught by the Blue Devils’ shortstop almost thwarted the scoring attempt.
However, with one swing the Indians added to the score as Williams drilled a 1-0 offering over the right center field fence.
Leone, who allowed six hits and recorded seven strikeouts in the game, ran into trouble in the bottom of the frame as he faced a bases loaded situation with one out but the lefthander recovered and ended the game by retiring the next two batters on strikeouts.
In the opener, the Indians found themselves in an early hole as the Blue Devils scored three runs against Indians’ starter Tyler Exley as five of the first seven batters reached base.
Exley allowed two batters of three batters to reach in the top of the second and was replaced by Mason Meyer who gave up a run scoring single but retired the next five batters that he faced.
The Indians rallied in the bottom of the fourth inning as Williams was hit by a pitch and came home on a triple by Holloway who scored a run with one out as a ball hit by Darrow was mishandled by the Blue Devils’ third baseman.
Holding the Blue Devils in check through most of the game, Meyer finally ran out of gas in the top of the seventh inning as he allowed three consecutive hits and a run before departing in favor of Brian Oliver who retired the side after an infield error allowed another run to score.
The margin was enough for Marietta starter Evan Steele who allowed five hits in seven innings and had 13 strikeouts while also going 2-for-4 at the plate with a pair of RBIS.
EC win bodes well for state tourney - April 25, 2015
Jaquez Williams was 3-for-4 at the plate with a home run while Tyler Exley and Dalton Chocallo combined on a four-hitter Thursday for the East Coweta Indians who defeated the Westlake Lions in a crucial Region 3-AAAAAA contest.
The region win at home in Sharpsburg not only gave the Indians an overall record of 17-6 but gives them the region’s top seed with a 13-1 record in the upcoming state playoffs when they will host the fourth seed from Region 4.
“We have had a lot of bumps in the road this year,” EC head coach Franklin Deloach commented. “There were a lot of injuries and other situations but our kids persevered. I am proud of this group and it feels nice to win the region.”
In the clinching game, the Lions scored a run in the top of the second inning on an errant pickoff throw but the Indians came back in the bottom of the frame to take the lead with four runs.
Williams led off with a double and moved to third on an infield single by Garrett Bean before scoring on a single by Cary Holloway.
Two errors by the Lions allowed Bean and Holloway to score after a single by Nate Gick who also scored on a throwing error.
The Indians added to the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning as Carson Balliew and Ethan Darrow singled and eventually coming home on a one out triple by Devonte Brown who came home on an infield error by the Lions.
Gick gave EC an 8-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning when he was hit by a pitch and score on two more Westlake errors.
The Lions scored twice in the top of the sixth against Exley who was lifted in favor of Chocallo but the Indians answered in the bottom of the frame as Austen Russell reached on a one out single and scored in front of a line drive shot over the right field fence by Williams.
Thursday’s win culminated a week in which the Indians had to win three games in order to win the region and the mission was accomplished by virtue of a 12-0 win against the Lions on Tuesday in Fulton County and a 20-5 win over the Campbell Spartans in a Wednesday game played in Smyrna.
The bats didn’t need to explode for EC at Campbell as they were recipients of 19 walks, two hit batsman and two errors.
The Indians took the lead in the top of the second inning as Williams highlighted the frame with a bases clearing double.
Campbell, who clinched the region’s fourth seed for the playoffs, came back in the bottom of the inning with four runs but EC responded with a pair of runs in the top of the third as Darrow had an RBI single and Thomas Leone had a sacrifice fly.
The Indians broke the game open in the top of the fourth inning as they scored 11 runs to take an 18-4 cushion.
Highlights of the frame included a two-run single by Gick who would record another RBI in the frame on abases loaded walk and a two-run double by Nick Pippin.
Gick, who was recently called up from the EC junior varsity team, was for 2-for-2 with three walks and four RBIs.
The Spartans scored a run in the bottom of the fourth inning while the Indians added two more runs in the top of the fifth inning for the final margin.
In the win over Westlake on Tuesday, EC took control early with two runs courtesy of a two-run triple by Brown and added five runs in the top of the fourth inning on two-run singles by Holloway and Brown.
Brown and Holloway finished with 2-for-3 performances at the plate with Brown recording four RBIs and Holloway scoring three times in the game.
The Indians added a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning as Bean walked and scored on a triple by Gick who would come home on a sacrifice fly.
A three-run sixth inning concluded the scoring for the Indians in support of Leone who allowed four hits, three walks and six strikeouts over five innings before Brian Oliver took over.
The region win at home in Sharpsburg not only gave the Indians an overall record of 17-6 but gives them the region’s top seed with a 13-1 record in the upcoming state playoffs when they will host the fourth seed from Region 4.
“We have had a lot of bumps in the road this year,” EC head coach Franklin Deloach commented. “There were a lot of injuries and other situations but our kids persevered. I am proud of this group and it feels nice to win the region.”
In the clinching game, the Lions scored a run in the top of the second inning on an errant pickoff throw but the Indians came back in the bottom of the frame to take the lead with four runs.
Williams led off with a double and moved to third on an infield single by Garrett Bean before scoring on a single by Cary Holloway.
Two errors by the Lions allowed Bean and Holloway to score after a single by Nate Gick who also scored on a throwing error.
The Indians added to the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning as Carson Balliew and Ethan Darrow singled and eventually coming home on a one out triple by Devonte Brown who came home on an infield error by the Lions.
Gick gave EC an 8-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning when he was hit by a pitch and score on two more Westlake errors.
The Lions scored twice in the top of the sixth against Exley who was lifted in favor of Chocallo but the Indians answered in the bottom of the frame as Austen Russell reached on a one out single and scored in front of a line drive shot over the right field fence by Williams.
Thursday’s win culminated a week in which the Indians had to win three games in order to win the region and the mission was accomplished by virtue of a 12-0 win against the Lions on Tuesday in Fulton County and a 20-5 win over the Campbell Spartans in a Wednesday game played in Smyrna.
The bats didn’t need to explode for EC at Campbell as they were recipients of 19 walks, two hit batsman and two errors.
The Indians took the lead in the top of the second inning as Williams highlighted the frame with a bases clearing double.
Campbell, who clinched the region’s fourth seed for the playoffs, came back in the bottom of the inning with four runs but EC responded with a pair of runs in the top of the third as Darrow had an RBI single and Thomas Leone had a sacrifice fly.
The Indians broke the game open in the top of the fourth inning as they scored 11 runs to take an 18-4 cushion.
Highlights of the frame included a two-run single by Gick who would record another RBI in the frame on abases loaded walk and a two-run double by Nick Pippin.
Gick, who was recently called up from the EC junior varsity team, was for 2-for-2 with three walks and four RBIs.
The Spartans scored a run in the bottom of the fourth inning while the Indians added two more runs in the top of the fifth inning for the final margin.
In the win over Westlake on Tuesday, EC took control early with two runs courtesy of a two-run triple by Brown and added five runs in the top of the fourth inning on two-run singles by Holloway and Brown.
Brown and Holloway finished with 2-for-3 performances at the plate with Brown recording four RBIs and Holloway scoring three times in the game.
The Indians added a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning as Bean walked and scored on a triple by Gick who would come home on a sacrifice fly.
A three-run sixth inning concluded the scoring for the Indians in support of Leone who allowed four hits, three walks and six strikeouts over five innings before Brian Oliver took over.
EC baseball's early season foiled by rainy weather - March 14, 2015
The first month of 2015 high school baseball season has been among the most frustrating in the nearly two-decade coaching career of East Coweta Indians skipper Franklin Deloach.
The Indians were able to get the season underway with a 10-0 win over Fayette County, a 3-0 loss to Starr’s Mill and a 6-0 win over Effingham County but the normal frustrations of the beginning of the season were overshadowed by something else besides lack of players or experience.
Mother Nature has proven her dislike for the game of baseball and thus coaches like Deloach have had to deal with a game of musical schedules as they attempt to get all of the scheduled games played before the April 25 deadline set by the Georgia High School Association.
“In my 18 years being a head coach with 15 at EC, this season has being the toughest start of a season regarding weather that I have ever seen,” he said. “Between our three teams at EC we have had more rainouts already this season than all of last year. Getting quality practices in due to the weather has been even more challenging.”
Despite the inclement conditions in Coweta County, the Indians have managed to put together a 7-2 overall record after a 6-5 win in Sharpsburg over the Central Carrollton Lions on March 5 and a 7-1 win in Douglasville over the Douglas County Tigers on March 2 in their Region 3-AAAAAA opener.
The Indians have since followed the two victories with 13-2 region win at Douglas County on March 6 and a pair of drubbings over Langston Hughes by scores of 15-0 and 20-0 before a 12-6 non-region loss to Troup County on March 11.
As for the win over the Trojans, the Indians needed an exciting play with two outs in the top of the seventh inning as the Lions threatened to tie the contest.
The Indians had a 6-4 lead in the top of the seventh inning when the Lions rallied for a run on a sacrifice fly to cut the margin to a single run with the tying score standing on second base.
The game nearly came to an end when a ball was hit to Indians third baseman Cary Holloway who tagged the bag for a force out.
However, they were unable to turn the double play and the Lions still had the tying run in scoring position. Dalton Chocallo gave up a single to center field to Lions’ and base runner was sent home when Thomas Leone threw a strike from the outfield to catcher to Reagan Thomas who applied the tag on and the game ended with an excited Indians’ roster taking the field.
The game was scoreless until there were two outs in the bottom of the second inning when the Indians batted around and scored five runs to take the lead.
After the first two batters of the frame were retired, Garrett Bean reached first on a walk, Holloway singled and walks to Thomas and Leone allowed Bean to come home with the first run of the evening.
Nick Pippin, Devonte Brown and Austen Russell followed with run scoring singles to complete the frame.
The Lions came back in the top of the fifth inning against starter and winner Mason Meyer and made the game close in the top of the sixth inning with three runs against two relievers.
In the bottom of the inning, the Indians scored an important run as Leone reached on a walk and advanced around to third on a pair of throwing errors before coming home on a sacrifice fly to center field by Brown.
In his first start of the season, Meyer allowed five hits in as many innings allowing an earned run while recording three strikeouts while Holloway recorded two of the seven hits by the Indians’ hitters.
In the win over the Tigers, the Indians took the lead in the top of the first inning as Nick Pippin singled to open the game and eventually scored when Jaquez Williams grounded out to first.
The Indians added a single run in the top of the second inning as Bean singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third on a groundout before scoring on a single by Thomas.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Indians took a 4-0 lead courtesy of a pair of errors by the Tigers as well as a steal of home by Pippin and a run scoring single by Williams.
An error by the Tigers and a bases loaded walk in the top of the sixth inning led to two more runs for the Indians and in the seventh inning the Indians added their final tally when Holloway scored on a double by Carson Balliew.
Leone pitched the first five innings for the win allowing two hits and recording six strikeouts while Chocallo pitched in the sixth and Balliew finished the game allowing the only run of the night to the Tigers.
"I thought we got great pitching starts for both games so far this week,” Deloach said about his hurlers. “Leone and Meyer did great going five innings with each not allowing any runs. In contrast, our relievers in both games need to improve on getting ahead with strikes coming in with a lead.”
After a Friday March 13 non-region game at Whitewater against Farragut of Tennessee, EC will have a pair of region games against Newnan.
The two rivals will meet in Sharpsburg on March 17 and will meet again on Friday March 20 in Newnan.
The Indians were able to get the season underway with a 10-0 win over Fayette County, a 3-0 loss to Starr’s Mill and a 6-0 win over Effingham County but the normal frustrations of the beginning of the season were overshadowed by something else besides lack of players or experience.
Mother Nature has proven her dislike for the game of baseball and thus coaches like Deloach have had to deal with a game of musical schedules as they attempt to get all of the scheduled games played before the April 25 deadline set by the Georgia High School Association.
“In my 18 years being a head coach with 15 at EC, this season has being the toughest start of a season regarding weather that I have ever seen,” he said. “Between our three teams at EC we have had more rainouts already this season than all of last year. Getting quality practices in due to the weather has been even more challenging.”
Despite the inclement conditions in Coweta County, the Indians have managed to put together a 7-2 overall record after a 6-5 win in Sharpsburg over the Central Carrollton Lions on March 5 and a 7-1 win in Douglasville over the Douglas County Tigers on March 2 in their Region 3-AAAAAA opener.
The Indians have since followed the two victories with 13-2 region win at Douglas County on March 6 and a pair of drubbings over Langston Hughes by scores of 15-0 and 20-0 before a 12-6 non-region loss to Troup County on March 11.
As for the win over the Trojans, the Indians needed an exciting play with two outs in the top of the seventh inning as the Lions threatened to tie the contest.
The Indians had a 6-4 lead in the top of the seventh inning when the Lions rallied for a run on a sacrifice fly to cut the margin to a single run with the tying score standing on second base.
The game nearly came to an end when a ball was hit to Indians third baseman Cary Holloway who tagged the bag for a force out.
However, they were unable to turn the double play and the Lions still had the tying run in scoring position. Dalton Chocallo gave up a single to center field to Lions’ and base runner was sent home when Thomas Leone threw a strike from the outfield to catcher to Reagan Thomas who applied the tag on and the game ended with an excited Indians’ roster taking the field.
The game was scoreless until there were two outs in the bottom of the second inning when the Indians batted around and scored five runs to take the lead.
After the first two batters of the frame were retired, Garrett Bean reached first on a walk, Holloway singled and walks to Thomas and Leone allowed Bean to come home with the first run of the evening.
Nick Pippin, Devonte Brown and Austen Russell followed with run scoring singles to complete the frame.
The Lions came back in the top of the fifth inning against starter and winner Mason Meyer and made the game close in the top of the sixth inning with three runs against two relievers.
In the bottom of the inning, the Indians scored an important run as Leone reached on a walk and advanced around to third on a pair of throwing errors before coming home on a sacrifice fly to center field by Brown.
In his first start of the season, Meyer allowed five hits in as many innings allowing an earned run while recording three strikeouts while Holloway recorded two of the seven hits by the Indians’ hitters.
In the win over the Tigers, the Indians took the lead in the top of the first inning as Nick Pippin singled to open the game and eventually scored when Jaquez Williams grounded out to first.
The Indians added a single run in the top of the second inning as Bean singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third on a groundout before scoring on a single by Thomas.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Indians took a 4-0 lead courtesy of a pair of errors by the Tigers as well as a steal of home by Pippin and a run scoring single by Williams.
An error by the Tigers and a bases loaded walk in the top of the sixth inning led to two more runs for the Indians and in the seventh inning the Indians added their final tally when Holloway scored on a double by Carson Balliew.
Leone pitched the first five innings for the win allowing two hits and recording six strikeouts while Chocallo pitched in the sixth and Balliew finished the game allowing the only run of the night to the Tigers.
"I thought we got great pitching starts for both games so far this week,” Deloach said about his hurlers. “Leone and Meyer did great going five innings with each not allowing any runs. In contrast, our relievers in both games need to improve on getting ahead with strikes coming in with a lead.”
After a Friday March 13 non-region game at Whitewater against Farragut of Tennessee, EC will have a pair of region games against Newnan.
The two rivals will meet in Sharpsburg on March 17 and will meet again on Friday March 20 in Newnan.
EC softball's deep playoff run ends in Elite Eight - November 8, 2014
When Lindsay Warren lined to third base into a double play Friday against the Hillgrove Lady Hawks in an elimination game of the AAAAAA Elite Eight state softball tournament at Columbus, the 2014 season was over for the East Coweta Lady Indians.
The 5-0 loss to the eventual AAAAAA runnerup also brought to an end the high school careers of Shemiah Sanchez, Lauren Liebe, Katey Lynch and Hailey Baswell also came to an end that afternoon.
Sanchez will be playing at LSU, Lynch will attend Kennesaw State and Baswell will play at Georgia Perimeter while Liebe will attend Auburn as a student only.
“We played well down in Columbus but against some other very good teams,” commented EC head coach Franklin Deloach. “I was very proud of the girls as well as the assistant coaches and our program.“
The Lady Indians opened play in the tournament with a 3-2 loss to the Brookwood Lady Broncos in eight innings under the international tiebreaker rule.
The next morning, the Lady Indians stayed alive with a 3-2 win over the Harrison Lady Hoyas but an error plague game later in the day led to the loss to the Lady Hawks.
In the opening game against Brookwood, EC took the lead in the top of the first inning as Sanchez reached on a walk, stole second and came home on a misplayed ball after a one out single by Lynch.
The Lady Indians added another run with two outs in the top of the seventh inning as pinch-runner Olivia Davis scored on a wild pitch.
Lady Indians starter Morgan Goree appeared headed to another win with a lot of strikeouts but the Lady Broncos came back in the bottom of the seventh with a pair of runs and the game went into extra innings where play gets tricky under the international tiebreaker rule.
The Lady Indians were unable to score in the top of the frame and the Lady Broncos were able to take advantage by scoring the winning run in the bottom of the frame.
Despite taking the loss, Goree still had another quality start allowing six hits and three walks while recording 11 strikeouts.
The junior hurler recovered the next morning and was able to benefit from a sizeable lead given to her by teammates gave her a lead to play as the Lady Indians scored all three runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Sanchez started the EC scoring in the bottom of the first inning as she reached on an error and eventually stole home, Lynch singled and came home on a single by Baswell while Rachel Vaughan closed the scoring with a single that scored courtesy runner Jamie Vitale
The Lady Hoyas rallied with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning and still had the tying run in scoring, but Goree was able to get out of trouble and the Lady Indians had the win. Sanchez and Baswell each finished with two hits for the Lady Indians.
In the loss against the Lady Hawks, fielding miscues by the Lady Indians became the nemesis early as errors led to a pair of runs in the top of the second inning, a single run in the fourth and two in the top of the fifth against Vaughn and Goree.
Offensively, the Lady Indians had an opportunity to score and take an early lead in the bottom of the first as Ashlynn Gunter and Lynch reached on consecutive one out walks but the duo were left stranded as a flyball and a groundout ended the threat.
The bottom of the fifth inning also held promise as Sanchez and Gunter reached on consecutive one out singles but that rally was thwarted after a double play and the Lady Hawks held a 5-0 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Vaughn pitched the first four innings of with Goree finishing the game after taking over in the top of the fifth inning.
The duo allowed five hits over seven to the Lady Hawks while Sanchez, Baswell, Warren and Madison Carter each had one hit for the Lady Indians.
Despite being eliminated, EC head coach Franklin Deloach considered the season a positive for the program.
“It was a great season winning the region championship and finishing fifth in the highest classification in the state going 33-6 overall,” he said. “The girls kept getting better and better throughout the season. We really got some great leadership from our four seniors and they will be missed.”
The 5-0 loss to the eventual AAAAAA runnerup also brought to an end the high school careers of Shemiah Sanchez, Lauren Liebe, Katey Lynch and Hailey Baswell also came to an end that afternoon.
Sanchez will be playing at LSU, Lynch will attend Kennesaw State and Baswell will play at Georgia Perimeter while Liebe will attend Auburn as a student only.
“We played well down in Columbus but against some other very good teams,” commented EC head coach Franklin Deloach. “I was very proud of the girls as well as the assistant coaches and our program.“
The Lady Indians opened play in the tournament with a 3-2 loss to the Brookwood Lady Broncos in eight innings under the international tiebreaker rule.
The next morning, the Lady Indians stayed alive with a 3-2 win over the Harrison Lady Hoyas but an error plague game later in the day led to the loss to the Lady Hawks.
In the opening game against Brookwood, EC took the lead in the top of the first inning as Sanchez reached on a walk, stole second and came home on a misplayed ball after a one out single by Lynch.
The Lady Indians added another run with two outs in the top of the seventh inning as pinch-runner Olivia Davis scored on a wild pitch.
Lady Indians starter Morgan Goree appeared headed to another win with a lot of strikeouts but the Lady Broncos came back in the bottom of the seventh with a pair of runs and the game went into extra innings where play gets tricky under the international tiebreaker rule.
The Lady Indians were unable to score in the top of the frame and the Lady Broncos were able to take advantage by scoring the winning run in the bottom of the frame.
Despite taking the loss, Goree still had another quality start allowing six hits and three walks while recording 11 strikeouts.
The junior hurler recovered the next morning and was able to benefit from a sizeable lead given to her by teammates gave her a lead to play as the Lady Indians scored all three runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Sanchez started the EC scoring in the bottom of the first inning as she reached on an error and eventually stole home, Lynch singled and came home on a single by Baswell while Rachel Vaughan closed the scoring with a single that scored courtesy runner Jamie Vitale
The Lady Hoyas rallied with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning and still had the tying run in scoring, but Goree was able to get out of trouble and the Lady Indians had the win. Sanchez and Baswell each finished with two hits for the Lady Indians.
In the loss against the Lady Hawks, fielding miscues by the Lady Indians became the nemesis early as errors led to a pair of runs in the top of the second inning, a single run in the fourth and two in the top of the fifth against Vaughn and Goree.
Offensively, the Lady Indians had an opportunity to score and take an early lead in the bottom of the first as Ashlynn Gunter and Lynch reached on consecutive one out walks but the duo were left stranded as a flyball and a groundout ended the threat.
The bottom of the fifth inning also held promise as Sanchez and Gunter reached on consecutive one out singles but that rally was thwarted after a double play and the Lady Hawks held a 5-0 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Vaughn pitched the first four innings of with Goree finishing the game after taking over in the top of the fifth inning.
The duo allowed five hits over seven to the Lady Hawks while Sanchez, Baswell, Warren and Madison Carter each had one hit for the Lady Indians.
Despite being eliminated, EC head coach Franklin Deloach considered the season a positive for the program.
“It was a great season winning the region championship and finishing fifth in the highest classification in the state going 33-6 overall,” he said. “The girls kept getting better and better throughout the season. We really got some great leadership from our four seniors and they will be missed.”
EC softball rolls into Elite Eight with sweep of Colquitt Co. - October 25, 2014
The East Coweta Lady Indians punched their ticket Wednesday night for the 2014 AAAAAA Elite Eight state softball tournament after a two-game sweep of the Colquitt County Lady Packers in a series played in Sharpsburg.
In the opener, a five-run second inning supported the one-hit pitching of starter Morgan Goree in an 8-0 six inning win while the Lady Indians overcame an early deficit to come back for a 7-4 victory.
The Lady Indians (32-4) will face the Brookwood Lady Broncos next Thursday in a first round matchup slated to begin at 6:00 at the South Commons Complex in Columbus.
“It is a nice feeling to be going back to Columbus,” commented head coach Franklin Deloach about the team’s ninth trip in 10 years to the tournament. “It is a championship tournament but I also want our girls to show up, have fun and be ready to play.”
The Lady Indians were ready to play in the first game as they broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the second inning to take a 5-0 lead.
Hailey Baswell led off with a single and after courtesy runner Olivia Davis advanced around the bases, Qortni Ware grounded out to first for the first run of the game as Davis crossed the plate.
Ashlynn Gunter reached on an infield error and Lindsey Warren followed with a bunt single before Shemiah Sanchez came to the plate and drilled a run scoring double.
An RBI single by Madison Carter and an RBI groundout by Katey Lynch completed the scoring in the inning for EC.
The Lady Indians added a run in the bottom of the fourth inning as Sanchez was hit by a pitch and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Lauren Liebe.
The final two runs of the game came in the bottom of the sixth inning as Sanchez and Carter reached on singles and Lynch was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Liebe who lined a shot off of the Colquitt second baseman.
Sanchez and Carter scored on the play and the game was called under the mercy rule.
In the nightcap, the game was tied at 4-4 in the top of the sixth inning when Warren reached on a bunt single and Sanchez followed with a shot over the center field fence for a two-run home run and 6-4 EC lead.
The Lady Indians added to the lead in the top of the seventh inning as Baswell drilled a shot over the center field fence for a solo home run.
Vaughn, who retired nine batters in order going into the bottom of the frame, allowed a leadoff single before retiring the next three batters to end the game.
The Lady Indians scored a single run in the top of the first inning as Sanchez singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a bunt single by Carter before coming home on a sacrifice fly to right by Lynch.
However, the Lady Packers came back in the bottom of the inning as the Lady Indians committed a pair of errors in the field which led to a 3-1 margin for the “home” team.
The Lady Indians responded after two outs in the top of the second inning as Gunter reached on an infield error, Warren walked and Sanchez followed with an RBI single but the Lady Packers would get the run back in the bottom of the frame with a single run.
The Lady Indians came back with a run in the top of the third inning to cut the margin to 4-3 as Lynch reached on a leadoff double and scored on a two out single by Baswell.
Two out magic continued in the top of the fourth inning as Sanchez reached base for the third time in the game with a single and came home with the tying run on a double to left by Carter.
The Lady Packers threatened to regain the lead in the bottom of the frame as they had runners at first and second with nobody out when Goree was replaced on the pitching rubber by Vaughn.
Vaughn was able to get out of the situation as she recorded a strikeout and induced a groundout before the inning ended on a flyball to Warren in right.
“It was a tough spot in the game to come in with a freshman (Vaughn) to pitch,” Deloach said. “We faced a lot of adversity early in the second game, the girls didn’t panic and we responded well.”
Now, the longtime EC head coach will get the opportunity to see how his club with five freshmen responds in the coming week on a bigger stage against some of the top AAAAAA softball programs in Georgia.
In the opener, a five-run second inning supported the one-hit pitching of starter Morgan Goree in an 8-0 six inning win while the Lady Indians overcame an early deficit to come back for a 7-4 victory.
The Lady Indians (32-4) will face the Brookwood Lady Broncos next Thursday in a first round matchup slated to begin at 6:00 at the South Commons Complex in Columbus.
“It is a nice feeling to be going back to Columbus,” commented head coach Franklin Deloach about the team’s ninth trip in 10 years to the tournament. “It is a championship tournament but I also want our girls to show up, have fun and be ready to play.”
The Lady Indians were ready to play in the first game as they broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the second inning to take a 5-0 lead.
Hailey Baswell led off with a single and after courtesy runner Olivia Davis advanced around the bases, Qortni Ware grounded out to first for the first run of the game as Davis crossed the plate.
Ashlynn Gunter reached on an infield error and Lindsey Warren followed with a bunt single before Shemiah Sanchez came to the plate and drilled a run scoring double.
An RBI single by Madison Carter and an RBI groundout by Katey Lynch completed the scoring in the inning for EC.
The Lady Indians added a run in the bottom of the fourth inning as Sanchez was hit by a pitch and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Lauren Liebe.
The final two runs of the game came in the bottom of the sixth inning as Sanchez and Carter reached on singles and Lynch was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Liebe who lined a shot off of the Colquitt second baseman.
Sanchez and Carter scored on the play and the game was called under the mercy rule.
In the nightcap, the game was tied at 4-4 in the top of the sixth inning when Warren reached on a bunt single and Sanchez followed with a shot over the center field fence for a two-run home run and 6-4 EC lead.
The Lady Indians added to the lead in the top of the seventh inning as Baswell drilled a shot over the center field fence for a solo home run.
Vaughn, who retired nine batters in order going into the bottom of the frame, allowed a leadoff single before retiring the next three batters to end the game.
The Lady Indians scored a single run in the top of the first inning as Sanchez singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a bunt single by Carter before coming home on a sacrifice fly to right by Lynch.
However, the Lady Packers came back in the bottom of the inning as the Lady Indians committed a pair of errors in the field which led to a 3-1 margin for the “home” team.
The Lady Indians responded after two outs in the top of the second inning as Gunter reached on an infield error, Warren walked and Sanchez followed with an RBI single but the Lady Packers would get the run back in the bottom of the frame with a single run.
The Lady Indians came back with a run in the top of the third inning to cut the margin to 4-3 as Lynch reached on a leadoff double and scored on a two out single by Baswell.
Two out magic continued in the top of the fourth inning as Sanchez reached base for the third time in the game with a single and came home with the tying run on a double to left by Carter.
The Lady Packers threatened to regain the lead in the bottom of the frame as they had runners at first and second with nobody out when Goree was replaced on the pitching rubber by Vaughn.
Vaughn was able to get out of the situation as she recorded a strikeout and induced a groundout before the inning ended on a flyball to Warren in right.
“It was a tough spot in the game to come in with a freshman (Vaughn) to pitch,” Deloach said. “We faced a lot of adversity early in the second game, the girls didn’t panic and we responded well.”
Now, the longtime EC head coach will get the opportunity to see how his club with five freshmen responds in the coming week on a bigger stage against some of the top AAAAAA softball programs in Georgia.
EC defeats North Cobb in AAAAAA softball playoff series - October 18, 2014
Key hits and solid pitching by Morgan Goree paved the way for the East Coweta Lady Indians to come away with a 5-2 victory Thursday over the North Cobb Lady Warriors in the final game of their AAAAAA state softball playoff series.
The Lady Indians improve to 30-4 and will host the Colquitt County Lady Packers (17-15) in the second round beginning Wednesday with the first game slated to start at 4:00 while the Lady Warriors will finish the season 27-8.
“We overcame a lot of obstacles tonight,” EC head coach Franklin Deloach commented. “There were a lot of line drive outs and some calls didn’t go our way.”
A pair of timely hits came in the top of the first inning as Madison Carter reached on a one out single and stole second before coming home on a two out single by Lauren Liebe.
After a walk to Rachel Vaughn, Hailey Baswell also had a key hit as her single to right center brought Liebe home from Second to give EC a 2-0 lead.
North Cobb scored a run in the bottom of the fourth inning to cut the lead to 2-1 but the Lady Indians scored a run in the top of the fifth inning as Carter reached on a bunt single and came home on a two out single by Liebe.
The Lady Warriors rallied in the bottom of the sixth after one out as a walk and two infield singles loaded the bases.
However, Goree was able to minimize the damage as a sacrifice fly to left led to a run and a ground ball completed the inning.
The Lady Indians made the Lady Warriors pay for only scoring a run as they had two out magic in the top of the seventh inning that led to insurance runs. Carter reached first base for the third time as she was walked, then stole second and eventually scored as Lynch who eventually scored when Liebe narrowly missed a home run as she lined a shot off of the center field fence for a double.
Liebe, who had several key hits for the season, was 4-for-4 in the game with three RBIs in the game and was 6-for-10 with five RBIs in the series.
Meanwhile, Goree was taking care of the Lady Warrior bats in the bottom of the frame as she induced a pair of groundouts and one of her nine strikeouts.
The Lady Indians began the three-game series Wednesday with a 10-1 victory in five innings as Shemiah Sanchez, Carter and Lynch each had two hits while a four-run fifth inning gave the Lady Warriors a 6-2 win in the nightcap to force the third game.
In the first game, the Lady Warriors scored a run in the top of the first inning but the Lady Indians came back to tie the game when Sanchez drilled a solo shot over the fence.
The Lady Indians took the lead in the bottom of the third inning as Sanchez reached on a one out walk, Carter reached on a bunt single and Lynch followed with a single to right field that loaded the bases. Baswell singled to right to bring Sanchez and Carter home while a throwing error scored Lynch to give EC a 4-1 lead.
The Lady Indians added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth inning as Ware reached on an infield error and moved to second on a sacrifice before Warren reached on a walk.
Sanchez and Carter followed with running scoring singles and both scored when a sacrifice fly hit to left field was dropped and Lynch followed a two-run home run to complete the scoring.
After allowing one hit and recording six strikeouts through the first six innings, Goree was relieved on the mound by Vaughn retired the side in order with a line drive back to the rubber and a pair of ground balls hit back to the freshman hurler.
In game two, the Lady Indians were the visitors and they were able to get the early lead as Sanchez led off the game with a single, moved to second on a groundout before coming home on a single to left by Liebe. The Lady Indians added to the lead in the top of the second inning when Ware drilled a solo home run over the left field fence.
The Lady Warriors tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning as they took advantage of an infield error, a single and a groundout.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Lady Indians threatened to regain the lead as Warren singled and stole second ahead of Sanchez who hit a flyball to center field that nearly became a two-run home run but instead was caught over the fence by Casey Page of the Lady Warriors.
The game remained tied at 2-2 after two outs in the bottom of the fifth were recorded by Vaughn but trouble began for the Lady Indians as a triple, a hit batter and a single by Iman Muhammad gave the Lady Warriors a 3-2 lead.
Consecutive singles to right field led to three more runs scoring and gave the Lady Warriors a 6-2 that was threatened by the Lady Indians but the latter was unable to get a solid rally going.
The Lady Indians improve to 30-4 and will host the Colquitt County Lady Packers (17-15) in the second round beginning Wednesday with the first game slated to start at 4:00 while the Lady Warriors will finish the season 27-8.
“We overcame a lot of obstacles tonight,” EC head coach Franklin Deloach commented. “There were a lot of line drive outs and some calls didn’t go our way.”
A pair of timely hits came in the top of the first inning as Madison Carter reached on a one out single and stole second before coming home on a two out single by Lauren Liebe.
After a walk to Rachel Vaughn, Hailey Baswell also had a key hit as her single to right center brought Liebe home from Second to give EC a 2-0 lead.
North Cobb scored a run in the bottom of the fourth inning to cut the lead to 2-1 but the Lady Indians scored a run in the top of the fifth inning as Carter reached on a bunt single and came home on a two out single by Liebe.
The Lady Warriors rallied in the bottom of the sixth after one out as a walk and two infield singles loaded the bases.
However, Goree was able to minimize the damage as a sacrifice fly to left led to a run and a ground ball completed the inning.
The Lady Indians made the Lady Warriors pay for only scoring a run as they had two out magic in the top of the seventh inning that led to insurance runs. Carter reached first base for the third time as she was walked, then stole second and eventually scored as Lynch who eventually scored when Liebe narrowly missed a home run as she lined a shot off of the center field fence for a double.
Liebe, who had several key hits for the season, was 4-for-4 in the game with three RBIs in the game and was 6-for-10 with five RBIs in the series.
Meanwhile, Goree was taking care of the Lady Warrior bats in the bottom of the frame as she induced a pair of groundouts and one of her nine strikeouts.
The Lady Indians began the three-game series Wednesday with a 10-1 victory in five innings as Shemiah Sanchez, Carter and Lynch each had two hits while a four-run fifth inning gave the Lady Warriors a 6-2 win in the nightcap to force the third game.
In the first game, the Lady Warriors scored a run in the top of the first inning but the Lady Indians came back to tie the game when Sanchez drilled a solo shot over the fence.
The Lady Indians took the lead in the bottom of the third inning as Sanchez reached on a one out walk, Carter reached on a bunt single and Lynch followed with a single to right field that loaded the bases. Baswell singled to right to bring Sanchez and Carter home while a throwing error scored Lynch to give EC a 4-1 lead.
The Lady Indians added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth inning as Ware reached on an infield error and moved to second on a sacrifice before Warren reached on a walk.
Sanchez and Carter followed with running scoring singles and both scored when a sacrifice fly hit to left field was dropped and Lynch followed a two-run home run to complete the scoring.
After allowing one hit and recording six strikeouts through the first six innings, Goree was relieved on the mound by Vaughn retired the side in order with a line drive back to the rubber and a pair of ground balls hit back to the freshman hurler.
In game two, the Lady Indians were the visitors and they were able to get the early lead as Sanchez led off the game with a single, moved to second on a groundout before coming home on a single to left by Liebe. The Lady Indians added to the lead in the top of the second inning when Ware drilled a solo home run over the left field fence.
The Lady Warriors tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning as they took advantage of an infield error, a single and a groundout.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Lady Indians threatened to regain the lead as Warren singled and stole second ahead of Sanchez who hit a flyball to center field that nearly became a two-run home run but instead was caught over the fence by Casey Page of the Lady Warriors.
The game remained tied at 2-2 after two outs in the bottom of the fifth were recorded by Vaughn but trouble began for the Lady Indians as a triple, a hit batter and a single by Iman Muhammad gave the Lady Warriors a 3-2 lead.
Consecutive singles to right field led to three more runs scoring and gave the Lady Warriors a 6-2 that was threatened by the Lady Indians but the latter was unable to get a solid rally going.
EC Indian softball romps to region championship - October 11, 2014
To say East Coweta shortstop Shemiah Sanchez has had quite a week in the Region 3-AAAAAA softball tournament at Sharpsburg could be considered an understatement.
In a 9-1 six-inning victory on Tuesday over South Cobb, the senior had two hits including a bases clearing double and scored twice.
In her next game, Sanchez hit two home runs and had seven RBIs to give the Lady Indians a 12-0 four-inning victory over the Newnan Lady Cougars and struck again Thursday night by scoring the tying run and driving home the go ahead run in the bottom of the fourth inning to lead the Lady Indians to a 10-3 win over the Lady Cougars in the championship game.
While pleased with Sanchez’ three-game performance, head coach Franklin Deloach felt the three wins were a team effort.
“Shemiah has played great the last three nights,” he said. “The difference for us especially tonight was we had a lot of people contribute. Tonight our eight and nine hitters (Ashlynn Gunter and Lindsey Warren) didn’t make an out (5-for-5, hit by pitch).”
The Thursday win marked the ninth region tournament title for the Lady Indians who improved to 28-3 on the season and gave them the region’s number one seed for the state playoffs which begin next Wednesday with a series at home against either North Cobb who is the number four seed from Region 4-AAAAAA.
The quest for the top seed did not get off to a great start for EC as they committed three errors in the top of the first inning which resulted in the first run of the night for the Lady Cougars.
The Lady Indians came back in the bottom of the frame as Sanchez led off with a solid single to center field, stole second and advanced to third on a one out single by Katey Lynch before coming home with the tying run after Lauren Liebe grounded out.
The game remained tied until the bottom of the fourth when Qortni ware doubled, Gunter was hit by a pitch and Warren reached on an infield single to set the stage for Sanchez.
Loveless appeared to have won this battle against Sanchez with an 0-2 count but the latter responded by drilling a shot over the center field fence for a grand slam and a 5-1 EC lead.
The beneficiary of the run support was starter Morgan Goree who struggled in the top of the fifth inning as Newnan cut into the lead to cut the margin to 5-3.
“Morgan has been pitching great lately,” Deloach said. “She didn’t have her best stuff tonight but was still able to battle and I was proud of that.”
The Lady Indians got the runs back and added some more insurance in the bottom of the sixth inning as Lynch had a two-run single, Liebe had an RBI groundout and Rachel Vaughn, who took over for Goree on the pitching rubber, the seventh inning) made her first varsity home run count with a two-run shot to center.
In the other tournament win over Newnan, the two teams were scoreless in the first inning but the Lady Cougars threatened to get on the board first as three batters reached base in the top of the second inning after Goree retired the first two batters on strikes.
However, the junior hurler managed to get that third out when she induced a ground ball to Sanchez who threw a strike to Vaughn at first to end the frame.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Lady Indians made their rival pay as Baswell singled, Ware reached on an infield error and Warren followed with a one out single that loaded the bases.
Enter Sanchez who drilled a 1-0 offering over the center field fence for her first blast of the week against the Lady Cougars with a grand slam and after a pair of errors and a single by Liebe, Vaughn hit a flyball to left for a sacrifice fly and a 5-0 lead as courtesy runner Olivia Davis came home.
The lead increased in the bottom of the frame as Gunter reached on a one out single and after two outs Sanchez and Carter reached on walks then Lynch followed with a shot of her own over the center field fence.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Lady Cougars made a pitching change with Addie Andrews who retired the first two batters she faced.
However, Andrews found the third out wouldn’t come as Gunter walked and Warren singled ahead of Sanchez who drilled an 0-1 offering over the center field fence again for a home run that ended the contest under the mercy rule.
Goree, who tossed a no-hitter against Newnan earlier in the season allowed two hits and recorded three strikeouts in the brief contest.
In the win over South Cobb, Sanchez and Carter reached base to begin the bottom of the first inning with each scoring on groundouts by Liebe and Vaughn.
The Lady Indians added to the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning as Sanchez drilled a bases clearing double and the lead was 5-0.
The Lady Eagles scored a run in the bottom of the fifth inning, but a four-run sixth highlighted by RBI singles by Liebe and Vaughn allowed the Lady Indians to pull away with the win and end the game under the mercy rule.
Goree limited the Lady Eagles to four hits and eight strikeouts in the complete game win.
In a 9-1 six-inning victory on Tuesday over South Cobb, the senior had two hits including a bases clearing double and scored twice.
In her next game, Sanchez hit two home runs and had seven RBIs to give the Lady Indians a 12-0 four-inning victory over the Newnan Lady Cougars and struck again Thursday night by scoring the tying run and driving home the go ahead run in the bottom of the fourth inning to lead the Lady Indians to a 10-3 win over the Lady Cougars in the championship game.
While pleased with Sanchez’ three-game performance, head coach Franklin Deloach felt the three wins were a team effort.
“Shemiah has played great the last three nights,” he said. “The difference for us especially tonight was we had a lot of people contribute. Tonight our eight and nine hitters (Ashlynn Gunter and Lindsey Warren) didn’t make an out (5-for-5, hit by pitch).”
The Thursday win marked the ninth region tournament title for the Lady Indians who improved to 28-3 on the season and gave them the region’s number one seed for the state playoffs which begin next Wednesday with a series at home against either North Cobb who is the number four seed from Region 4-AAAAAA.
The quest for the top seed did not get off to a great start for EC as they committed three errors in the top of the first inning which resulted in the first run of the night for the Lady Cougars.
The Lady Indians came back in the bottom of the frame as Sanchez led off with a solid single to center field, stole second and advanced to third on a one out single by Katey Lynch before coming home with the tying run after Lauren Liebe grounded out.
The game remained tied until the bottom of the fourth when Qortni ware doubled, Gunter was hit by a pitch and Warren reached on an infield single to set the stage for Sanchez.
Loveless appeared to have won this battle against Sanchez with an 0-2 count but the latter responded by drilling a shot over the center field fence for a grand slam and a 5-1 EC lead.
The beneficiary of the run support was starter Morgan Goree who struggled in the top of the fifth inning as Newnan cut into the lead to cut the margin to 5-3.
“Morgan has been pitching great lately,” Deloach said. “She didn’t have her best stuff tonight but was still able to battle and I was proud of that.”
The Lady Indians got the runs back and added some more insurance in the bottom of the sixth inning as Lynch had a two-run single, Liebe had an RBI groundout and Rachel Vaughn, who took over for Goree on the pitching rubber, the seventh inning) made her first varsity home run count with a two-run shot to center.
In the other tournament win over Newnan, the two teams were scoreless in the first inning but the Lady Cougars threatened to get on the board first as three batters reached base in the top of the second inning after Goree retired the first two batters on strikes.
However, the junior hurler managed to get that third out when she induced a ground ball to Sanchez who threw a strike to Vaughn at first to end the frame.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Lady Indians made their rival pay as Baswell singled, Ware reached on an infield error and Warren followed with a one out single that loaded the bases.
Enter Sanchez who drilled a 1-0 offering over the center field fence for her first blast of the week against the Lady Cougars with a grand slam and after a pair of errors and a single by Liebe, Vaughn hit a flyball to left for a sacrifice fly and a 5-0 lead as courtesy runner Olivia Davis came home.
The lead increased in the bottom of the frame as Gunter reached on a one out single and after two outs Sanchez and Carter reached on walks then Lynch followed with a shot of her own over the center field fence.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Lady Cougars made a pitching change with Addie Andrews who retired the first two batters she faced.
However, Andrews found the third out wouldn’t come as Gunter walked and Warren singled ahead of Sanchez who drilled an 0-1 offering over the center field fence again for a home run that ended the contest under the mercy rule.
Goree, who tossed a no-hitter against Newnan earlier in the season allowed two hits and recorded three strikeouts in the brief contest.
In the win over South Cobb, Sanchez and Carter reached base to begin the bottom of the first inning with each scoring on groundouts by Liebe and Vaughn.
The Lady Indians added to the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning as Sanchez drilled a bases clearing double and the lead was 5-0.
The Lady Eagles scored a run in the bottom of the fifth inning, but a four-run sixth highlighted by RBI singles by Liebe and Vaughn allowed the Lady Indians to pull away with the win and end the game under the mercy rule.
Goree limited the Lady Eagles to four hits and eight strikeouts in the complete game win.
EC softball clinches top seed for region tourney - October 4, 2014
Wednesday's non-region softball game between the East Coweta Lady Indians and Northgate Lady Vikings in Sharpsburg featured a little bit of everything for those in attendance.
First, the annual cancer fundraising effort by the two teams concluded with a silent auction and raffle were conducted after the players worked as servers at Joe Friday’s Pizza in Sharpsburg on Saturday to raise money and cancer awareness.
Both events raised a total of $3296 which benefitted the Pink Posse of Georgia.
Next on the calendar came Senior Night for the Lady Indians as Shemiah Sanchez. Lauren Liebe, Katey Lynch and Hailey Baswell were honored as well as several members of the Lady Vikings squad.
Along the way, the two teams played a game and while the seniors did their part , it was an underclassman who led the way as pitcher Morgan Goree had a one-hit, seven strikeout performance while as the Lady Indians were 5-0 winners.
The Lady Indians, who defeated Northside-Columbus 9-0 Monday at home, will take a 25-3 overall mark and the top seed into next week’s region 3-AAAAAA Tournament while the Lady Vikings will take a 19-6 overall mark and top seed into the Region 4-AAAAA Tournament.
After allowing the only hit of the game to Ebonee Echols, Goree breezed through the top of the first inning and her teammates gave her a lead in the bottom of the frame as Madison Carter reached on a one out single, stole second and came home when a ground ball hit by Liebe was mishandled in the infield.
The Lady Indians added another run in the bottom of the second inning as Baswell reached on a leadoff walk and after a pair of groundouts, LuLu Warren reached on an infield single that allowed courtesy runner Olivia Davis to come home.
East Coweta held the 2-0 lead until the bottom of the sixth inning when they added to their total as Baswell reached on an error in the outfield, Ashlynn Gunter reached on a walk and Warren on a fielder’s choice before Sanchez drilled a bases clearing double with two outs in the frame.
The offense was more than enough for Goree who allowed a second inning baserunner after Echols’ single before retiring the final 17 Lady Vikings in a row while getting 15 first pitch strikes on the 22 batters she would face in the game.
In the win earlier in the week over Northside, the story was the pitching again as Goree and Rachel Vaughn combined on a five inning no-hitter.
The Lady Indians took the lead in the bottom of the first inning as Sanchez reached on a double and eventually came home on a one out single by Lynch who scored the other run of the frame on an infield error.
Sanchez had a hand in the second inning scoring as she reached on a leadoff walk, advanced to second after Carter also walked and the former scored when a throwing error allowed her to come home after stealing third with the latter following the senior.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Lady Indians added five more runs which gave them a 9-0 lead that allowed the game to end under the mercy rule.
Baswell reached on a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a single by Qortni Ware and on the play, the ball was mishandled allowing Baswell to score and Ware to coast into second.
After Gunter grounded out, Warren reached on an error that allowed Ware to score and brought Sanchez to the plate.
Sanchez, who hit a game-winning home run the previous week at Starr’s Mill, struck again as she drilled the first pitch she saw over the left field fence for a two-run shot and an 8-0 EC lead.
The final run of the frame came as Carter and Lynch had back-to-back singles and Liebe followed with a sacrifice fly.
Meanwhile, the Lady Patriots were no match for Goree and Vaughn who combined to record eight strikeouts and retire the first 14 batters of the game before one reached in the top of the fifth after being hit by a pitch.
Next for the Lady Indians will be hosting the region tournament beginning Tuesday and having a first round bye by virtue of winning the regular season title.
First, the annual cancer fundraising effort by the two teams concluded with a silent auction and raffle were conducted after the players worked as servers at Joe Friday’s Pizza in Sharpsburg on Saturday to raise money and cancer awareness.
Both events raised a total of $3296 which benefitted the Pink Posse of Georgia.
Next on the calendar came Senior Night for the Lady Indians as Shemiah Sanchez. Lauren Liebe, Katey Lynch and Hailey Baswell were honored as well as several members of the Lady Vikings squad.
Along the way, the two teams played a game and while the seniors did their part , it was an underclassman who led the way as pitcher Morgan Goree had a one-hit, seven strikeout performance while as the Lady Indians were 5-0 winners.
The Lady Indians, who defeated Northside-Columbus 9-0 Monday at home, will take a 25-3 overall mark and the top seed into next week’s region 3-AAAAAA Tournament while the Lady Vikings will take a 19-6 overall mark and top seed into the Region 4-AAAAA Tournament.
After allowing the only hit of the game to Ebonee Echols, Goree breezed through the top of the first inning and her teammates gave her a lead in the bottom of the frame as Madison Carter reached on a one out single, stole second and came home when a ground ball hit by Liebe was mishandled in the infield.
The Lady Indians added another run in the bottom of the second inning as Baswell reached on a leadoff walk and after a pair of groundouts, LuLu Warren reached on an infield single that allowed courtesy runner Olivia Davis to come home.
East Coweta held the 2-0 lead until the bottom of the sixth inning when they added to their total as Baswell reached on an error in the outfield, Ashlynn Gunter reached on a walk and Warren on a fielder’s choice before Sanchez drilled a bases clearing double with two outs in the frame.
The offense was more than enough for Goree who allowed a second inning baserunner after Echols’ single before retiring the final 17 Lady Vikings in a row while getting 15 first pitch strikes on the 22 batters she would face in the game.
In the win earlier in the week over Northside, the story was the pitching again as Goree and Rachel Vaughn combined on a five inning no-hitter.
The Lady Indians took the lead in the bottom of the first inning as Sanchez reached on a double and eventually came home on a one out single by Lynch who scored the other run of the frame on an infield error.
Sanchez had a hand in the second inning scoring as she reached on a leadoff walk, advanced to second after Carter also walked and the former scored when a throwing error allowed her to come home after stealing third with the latter following the senior.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Lady Indians added five more runs which gave them a 9-0 lead that allowed the game to end under the mercy rule.
Baswell reached on a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a single by Qortni Ware and on the play, the ball was mishandled allowing Baswell to score and Ware to coast into second.
After Gunter grounded out, Warren reached on an error that allowed Ware to score and brought Sanchez to the plate.
Sanchez, who hit a game-winning home run the previous week at Starr’s Mill, struck again as she drilled the first pitch she saw over the left field fence for a two-run shot and an 8-0 EC lead.
The final run of the frame came as Carter and Lynch had back-to-back singles and Liebe followed with a sacrifice fly.
Meanwhile, the Lady Patriots were no match for Goree and Vaughn who combined to record eight strikeouts and retire the first 14 batters of the game before one reached in the top of the fifth after being hit by a pitch.
Next for the Lady Indians will be hosting the region tournament beginning Tuesday and having a first round bye by virtue of winning the regular season title.
EC football dominates Campbell 41-14 on homecoming night
The Friday night matchup at Garland Shoemake Stadium between the East Coweta Indians and the Campbell Spartans offered more than the fact it was the Region 3-AAAAAA opener for the two teams.
Prior to the game, it was announced that the game officials were wearing blue ribbons to commemorate the fight against Prostate Cancer and would be using blue flags instead of the conventional yellow when calling penalties.
The game also concluded homecoming week at East Coweta High School with Brittany Whelan named as homecoming queen.
By the way, a game was also played and the Indians proved to be tough hosts as they came away with a 41-14 victory to improve to 4-0 overall on the season and the Spartans fell to 2-2.
After holding the Spartans on their initial three-and-out of the game, the Indians got on the board thanks to the special team unit as Elishua Orr blocked a punt by Logan Berry and Kevin Lashley did the rest as he ran into the end zone for a 40-yard return for a touchdown with 11:06 remaining.
Cole Antley did his part for the special team unit by converting the extra point and drilling the ensuing kickoff into the end zone for a touchback.
The score remained 7-0 through most of the first quarter as both offenses stalled but the Indians’ special teams unit gave the homecoming crowd something to cheer about as Jeremiah Gemmel blocked the next punt by Berry in the end zone with a second remaining and the lead was 14-0 after the extra point.
The Spartans cut the margin to 14-7 with 5:38 in the second quarter remaining as Cameron St. Cyr hit Jawan Nobles with a 16-yard pass and the extra point attempt was successful but the Indians came back on the ensuing drive and scored when Devonte Brown raced past the Spartan defenders for a 31-yard touchdown with 2:08 remaining.
The Indians took the 21-7 lead into the locker room and opened the third quarter with possession of the ball highlighted by a 34-yard pass from quarterback Will LaGuardia to E.J. Ransom, the home team added to the lead as Antley converted a 25-yard field goal attempt with 7:50 remaining.
Campbell tried to rally on the next series as St. Cyr converted three consecutive passes to the EC 37 but a sack by Gemmel for 14 yards thwarted the drive and they were forced to punt with 4:07 remaining.
The Indians took over at their 19 and with the help of a pair of LaGuardia completions, a sideline penalty after an official was injured, the crowd was pleased with another score as LaGuardia hit Chaz Cherry with a three-yard pass and the lead was 31-7 with a minute remaining after Antley hit the extra point.
After recovering a fumble near midfield at the end of the third, the Indians went on a 10-play drive that culminated with a 47-yard field goal and with 7;02 left in the game the lead was 34-7.
As the game was nearing its conclusion, EC head coach Steve Pardue sent substitutes into the game and they got into the scoring parade as quarterback Will Morris scored on a 16-yard keeper with 2:29 remaining to end their scoring while Campbell scored a touchdown with 45 seconds left in the game.
After traveling to South Fulton County on October 3 for a game with the Westlake Lions, the Indians will host the defending region champion Langston Hughes Panthers on October 10.
Prior to the game, it was announced that the game officials were wearing blue ribbons to commemorate the fight against Prostate Cancer and would be using blue flags instead of the conventional yellow when calling penalties.
The game also concluded homecoming week at East Coweta High School with Brittany Whelan named as homecoming queen.
By the way, a game was also played and the Indians proved to be tough hosts as they came away with a 41-14 victory to improve to 4-0 overall on the season and the Spartans fell to 2-2.
After holding the Spartans on their initial three-and-out of the game, the Indians got on the board thanks to the special team unit as Elishua Orr blocked a punt by Logan Berry and Kevin Lashley did the rest as he ran into the end zone for a 40-yard return for a touchdown with 11:06 remaining.
Cole Antley did his part for the special team unit by converting the extra point and drilling the ensuing kickoff into the end zone for a touchback.
The score remained 7-0 through most of the first quarter as both offenses stalled but the Indians’ special teams unit gave the homecoming crowd something to cheer about as Jeremiah Gemmel blocked the next punt by Berry in the end zone with a second remaining and the lead was 14-0 after the extra point.
The Spartans cut the margin to 14-7 with 5:38 in the second quarter remaining as Cameron St. Cyr hit Jawan Nobles with a 16-yard pass and the extra point attempt was successful but the Indians came back on the ensuing drive and scored when Devonte Brown raced past the Spartan defenders for a 31-yard touchdown with 2:08 remaining.
The Indians took the 21-7 lead into the locker room and opened the third quarter with possession of the ball highlighted by a 34-yard pass from quarterback Will LaGuardia to E.J. Ransom, the home team added to the lead as Antley converted a 25-yard field goal attempt with 7:50 remaining.
Campbell tried to rally on the next series as St. Cyr converted three consecutive passes to the EC 37 but a sack by Gemmel for 14 yards thwarted the drive and they were forced to punt with 4:07 remaining.
The Indians took over at their 19 and with the help of a pair of LaGuardia completions, a sideline penalty after an official was injured, the crowd was pleased with another score as LaGuardia hit Chaz Cherry with a three-yard pass and the lead was 31-7 with a minute remaining after Antley hit the extra point.
After recovering a fumble near midfield at the end of the third, the Indians went on a 10-play drive that culminated with a 47-yard field goal and with 7;02 left in the game the lead was 34-7.
As the game was nearing its conclusion, EC head coach Steve Pardue sent substitutes into the game and they got into the scoring parade as quarterback Will Morris scored on a 16-yard keeper with 2:29 remaining to end their scoring while Campbell scored a touchdown with 45 seconds left in the game.
After traveling to South Fulton County on October 3 for a game with the Westlake Lions, the Indians will host the defending region champion Langston Hughes Panthers on October 10.