The Dodge County High School Lady Indians welcomed Screven County to Eastman last Wednesday with third place in the region on the line.
Dodge would win game one with some ease 9-5, but, game two would be high drama as the Lady Indians would rally for six runs in the seventh for a 6-4 win.
Dodge will now go to Morgan County for a double header Wednesday. The Lady Indians beat Morgan County earlier in a tournament in Jones County.
After an easy top of the first, Dodge grabbed the early lead. Leadoff hitter Jaye Hilliard got a bunt single and she advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Blakelyn Bundick. Hilliard would score as Caitlin Greer’s ground ball couldn’t be handled and Dodge claimed a 1-0 lead.
The game was still a 1-0 going into the third. The defense would work around two walks and a double as catcher Nikki Graham threw out another base runner trying to steal second and Dodge kept their 1-0 lead.
Dodge would put this game away in the bottom of the fourth. Katie Selph would single and Hannah Moore would walk on an error to begin the inning.
Annie Moore and Graham would follow with singles for a 3-0 Dodge lead. Lila Coleman would double which scored a pair of runs for a 5-0
Dodge lead. Hilliard would single in Annie Moore for a 6-0 game.
Ashton Holt would double scoring Graham for a 7-0 game. Holt returned after a lengthy absence due to a spider bite.
Caitlyn Greer and Katie Selph would add hits in the inning, as Dodge would lead 8-0 going to the fifth.
Screven wouldn’t go down without a fight. They rallied with four runs in the fifth and one more in the sixth to make it 8-5 going to the bottom of the sixth.
Holt was hit by a pitch, leading off the inning. Caitlin Greer followed with a single and Katie Selph got her third hit of the game scoring Holt for a 9-5 lead.
Screven got a lead-off base runner in the seventh, but Hannah Moore and Jaye Hilliard turned a double play to end game one for a 9-5 final.
Game two started slowly on the scoreboard, but plenty of action took place. Ashton Holt and Caitlin Greer would both single with two outs, Dodge would leave runners stranded.
In the Screven County half of the first, they put runners at second and third with two outs. Katie Selph got out of the inning on a routine fly ball to Blakelyn Bundick. On the play, senior shortstop Jaye Hilliard was down with a cut above her eye and her day would be over.
Lauren Belflower, a freshman, would take over, which would give dodge four freshman in the game. The Dodge offense was to be slowed down as only hits by Annie Moore and Katie Selph would be the only other hits for Dodge through five innings.
Dodge’s defense and pitching did a good job as the game was scoreless going to the bottom of the fifth. Screven would take the lead with a run in the fifth and three more in the sixth to take a 4-0 lead going to Dodge’s final swing in the top of the seventh.
It would be the 7-8-9 spots in the order due for Dodge and all of them are freshman. Annie Moore got Dodge’s inning going with single to center. A walk to Nikki Graham and a single by Lila Coleman would load the bases for Lauren Bellflower and, yes, she is a freshman as well.
Like the three before, she would single to left as Moore and Graham would score for a 4-2 game. Blakelyn Bundick would reach on an error to reload the bases with no outs.
One out later, senior Caitlin Greer would single in Coleman and Bellflower would barely beat the throw and the game was tied at 4-4.
The Screven defense would make their second big error of the inning, as Bundick and Greer would score for a 6-4 Dodge lead.
Screven would attempt one final rally in the bottom of the seventh. The Lady Gamecocks would get a lead off single. A ground out to Selph and a line out to Greer would put Screven down to their final innings. They would get base runners on a wild pitch on a swinging strike three and a walk to load the bases with two outs.
Hannah Moore would knock down a grounder headed for centerfield and drive to touch second in time for the final out and would end a wild 6-4 Dodge win.
