The Long County Lady Blue Tide softball team went into Thursday’s game against the Islands Sharks knowing they needed a win to secure the Region 3-AAA championship.
After starting off slow by allowing three runs in the first, they turned things on at the plate to roll the Sharks 24-3 in two and a half innings to win the region title.
“It feels good,” head coach Harley Kennedy said of the team being region champions for the first time since 2021. “We’ve got a good group that really bought in this year and it’s nice to see them get rewarded.”
A two-run home run put the Sharks up 3-0 and shocked the Lady Tide, who had previously allowed just nine runs across 13 region games.
Lana Lewis doubled with a runner on second to bring in the first of 12 runs across the plate in the bottom of the second.
The Tide added another run with Sophia Brewster’s RBI single. Jersi Lester doubled to tie the game 3-3 before Hollan Clark’s sacrifice RBI gave them a lead they did not relinquish.
Brewster drove in two more runs as the Tide added eight runs in the frame. Mackenzie Crews’ three-run homer gave the Tide an 11-3 lead.
Crews rounded the bases and lifted her finger to the sky in celebration. She was not even sure it was a home run until she was rounding second base.
“When I did it, I really wasn’t expecting it to go,” the freshman catcher said. “I was just running around the bases and when it went out, I was just very excited.”
With a 12-3 lead, Brewster rang up two more strikeouts in the top of the second.
Catherine Sikes brought home a run to open the scoring in the home half of the second before the Tide went on five-batter run where they made the score 17-3.
Maddi Brannen’s two-run single made the score 19-3, putting the Tide in run rule range. They added five more runs with Kinslee Harold getting a sacrifice RBI and Rilyn Williams, Reese Davis and Mackenzie Leming all getting single RBIs in relief work at the plate.
With a 24-3 lead going into the third, Brewster recorded three more strikeouts to bring the game to an end as the Tide secured their second region title in team history.
Kennedy had pretty much the same reaction most everyone did after the Sharks built their 3-0 lead in the first inning, but knew they would be able to work their way out of the jam.
“I knew we were going to be able to hit, but I didn’t want us to get down and lose any momentum that we had,” Kennedy said. “They kind of shocked us a little bit with the double to start off the game and the home run going down 3-0. But they were able to fight back and put some runs in the first inning.”
The Lady Tide move to 21-4 and 13-1 in region play. They host Tattnall County today and have a busy schedule next week to close out the regular season.
They will play at Richmond Hill on Monday and host Jenkins on Tuesday and Camden County on Wednesday before they host the first round of the state playoffs with a doubleheader on Wednesday, October 15. Their opponent is still to be determined.