The top-ranked Buford Lady Wolves softball team defeated Jeff Davis and Union County on Thursday at the South Commons Complex in Columbus to remain in the hunt for their fourth straight Class AA softball title.
The Lady Wolves (30-4) started their title run with a 4-1 win over Jeff Davis. Melissa Dickie had eight strikeouts and surrendered four hits to earn her 14th win of the year for Buford. Dickie, Lexi Overstreet and Kodi Ricketson all hit solo home runs in the win.
Kallie Case went 2-for-3 with a double and RBI for Buford, which beat Union County 6-1 in its next game.
The Lady Panthers, whose only loss during the regular season was to the Lady Wolves, jumped out to an early 1-0 lead thanks to a home run by Kaitlyn Seabolt to start the bottom of the first. Whitney Kelly singled to left one batter later, but those two hits were all Union County had in the game.
Following the rough first inning, Buford senior Karly Fullem shut down Union County and finished the game with 11 strikeouts and no walks. The only Lady Panther to reach base following the first was Seabolt, who was hit by a pitch in the third and sixth inning.
Fullem didn’t need much run support with that type of performance, but she received plenty.
Overstreet continued her great day at the plate with a two-run home run, Case went 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored, and Chelsie Thomas chipped in with two hits and two RBIs. Rebekah Rude went 2-for-3 with two runs scored for Buford, which plays Greater Atlanta Christian at 5 p.m. today.
The Lady Wolves defeated GAC three times this season including the Region 6-AA championship game. In 2007, the Lady Spartans beat Buford three times in the regular season before losing to it in the state tournament in Columbus. Buford went on to win its first softball title that year.
Union County (29-3-1), which beat Pike County in its first game Thursday, plays the winner of today’s Dodge County/Berrien game at 1 p.m. today.
White County cruises in first two games
The Lady Warriors hit eight home runs against Eastside and Thomson on Thursday to advance in the Class AAA tournament in Columbus.
Trailing 2-0 against Eastside in the first game of the day, White County rallied for five runs in the fifth inning to win 5-3.
Stephanie Satterfield hit a three-run home run and Morgan Jacobson hit a two-run homer for the Lady Warriors (28-6).
Satterfield, Jacobson and Heather Herdliska hit back-to-back-to-back home runs that started White County’s 16-1 win over Thomson in the second game.
Satterfield, Jacobson and Callie McDonald each hit home runs in a 10-run second inning. Satterfield’s homer did the most damage, as the senior hit a grand slam to help her team advance in three innings.
White County plays West Laurens at 5 p.m. today.