Lanier Point Invitational
Gold Division
Place Team Record
1st Union County 5-1
2nd East Hall 4-2
3rd Dawson County 5-1
4th White County 4-2
5th Habersham Central 4-2
6th Commerce 3-3
7th Wesleyan 3-3
8th Gilmer 2-4
Silver Division
1st North Hall 4-2
2nd Flowery Branch 2-4
3rd Blessed Trinity 3-3
4th West Hall 3-3
5th Rabun County 3-3
6th Hart County 3-3
7th Chestatee 1-5
8th Gainesville 0-6
Union County pitcher Angie Hughes was dominant throughout the two days of the Lanier Point Invitational. Fittingly, she saved her best performance for last.
The senior hurled a no-hitter in the Gold Division championship game, leading the Lady Panthers to a 7-0 win over East Hall. The six-inning, 12-strikeout performance capped a tournament in which Hughes earned five wins and yielded no earned runs.
Union County, the reigning 8-AA champs, finished off a strong showing for the region. Not only did the Lady Panthers win and the Lady Vikings take second place, but fellow 8-AA member Dawson County took third place with an 8-7 win over White County. The Lady Warriors had been bumped from the winners bracket in a 3-2 loss to East Hall in the semifinals.
In the Silver Division, North Hall (4-2) took home first place with a 6-2 triumph over Flowery Branch.
But the story of the tournament was Hughes — not that it was unexpected. The senior hurler won 28 games last season, including 18 shutouts, five no-hitters and 377 strikeouts in 210 innings.
She was on top of her game Saturday, pitching the Panthers past Dawson County with a shutout in the semifinals. It wasn’t a perfect day for the Lady Panthers, however. With the top seed from pool play locked up, Hughes stepped out of the pitcher’s circle against North Hall. The result was a 17-1 win for the Lady Trojans.
But with Hughes in control, Union County could hardly be touched.
And while Hughes took care of opposing offenses, Lady Panther senior Callie Dyer supplied the offensive punch. In the finals, the center fielder finished 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles and three RBIs, while leadoff hitter Courtney Busbee added a 2-for-4 effort.
For North Hall, a long day of softball began at 8 a.m. and got off to a rocky start with a 6-4 loss to Wesleyan that landed the Lady Trojans in the Silver Bracket. Unfazed, North Hall (4-2) finished with four straight wins, including a 6-2 triumph over Flowery Branch in the finals of the Silver Division.
The Lady Falcons took second in the Silver, finishing the tournament at 2-4 after wins Saturday over Rabun County and Blessed Trinity.