The Long County Blue Tide softball team notched its first win of the young 2024 season on Tuesday on Ainsley Anderson’s walk-off double against rival Tattnall County for a 9-8 victory.

The Warriors jumped on the Lady Tide early as they recorded four hits in the top of the first to take a 3-0 lead. The Lady Tide got a run back in the bottom half of the inning on a Ciara O’Brien RBI single.

The second inning was where things turned in favor of the Tide as they scored four runs to take a 5-3 lead. The team batted around the lineup with Jersi Lester hitting an RBI single and Miley Maulden, Leah Denmark and O’Brien all hitting RBI doubles to pad their lead.

Casey Lust was solid in the second and third innings as she and the defense kept the Warriors off the bags. She locked up two strikeouts across the innings.

In the bottom of the third, the Lady Tide had two on with one out as Addison Moss singled and Reese Davis walked put two on the bags with one out. However, the Warriors turned Lester’s pop up to shallow center into a double play.

Two short bloopers into left field got down and eventually loaded the bases for the Warriors with just one out on the board. Two hits later, the Warriors made the score 5-4 with two outs.

Lust secured the last out with a strikeout, her third of the game, but the Tide still had their lead cut in half.

A walk to Lana Lewis in the bottom of the fifth started the Tide’s second rally of the game. Lust singled to move Lewis to second before Moss’ bunt loaded the bases.

A passed ball with Davis up to bat scored two for the Tide as they made the score 7-4. Davis then hit a sacrifice RBI to double up the Warriors’ four runs as the Tide led 8-4 going into the sixth inning.

In the top of the seventh, the Warriors got hot again. They used three hits to score four runs and tie the game at 8-8.

Lester doubled and Maulden was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the seventh before Denmark was intentionally walked to load the bases with no outs.

Anderson, who walked in all four of her plate appearances on the day, came up to the plate. Her fifth appearance, however, did not end in a walk. She hit a ground ball down the third base line to score Lester and give the Tide a win.

The win brings the Tide’s record to 1-1 on the season. They hosted Pierce County on Thursday, August 15, but scores were not available at press time.