Long County was 1-1 on the softball diamond last week, falling to Brunswick (1-0), but bouncing back to beat New Hampstead (1-1).
Tuesday, the Lady Tide played the Lady Pirates in Glynn County in a non-region matchup. After competitive play by both teams, Long County held a 9-6 lead going into the seventh inning.
Brunswick held Ludowici scoreless in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the inning, the Lady Pirates scored four runs to squeak out the 10-9 victory.
Long County’s Rylie Poppell got the start and lasted six innings. She struck out 4 batters and had 4 walks. Ainsley Dawson took over in the seventh and could not hold the lead, picking up the loss.
The Lady Tide’s leading batters Tide were Ravae Rose who went 3 for 4 scoring 3 runs, Tityanna Wilson, 3 for 3 scoring 2, and Bailey Harrison, 2 for 4 with a homerun and 4 RBIs.
Coach Brian Thomas said he was still pleased with the girls’ effort.
“Even though we took a tough loss, I thought we played with a lot of heart and passion,” Thomas said. “I’m proud of our girls for fighting so hard. I hope this gives us confidence going forward.”
He also praised the Lady Pirates, adding the competition will help his team get better.
“Brunswick is a very tough, well-coached team. So taking them to the distance proves that we can match-up with good teams.”
Thursday, the Lady Tide were in the friendly confines of Ludowici with the home fans cheering them on. They notched a 12-4 win over New Hampstead. Poppell was backon the mound and went five innings before the game was called. She struck out 6, walked 2 and gave up 5 hits. Three of the 4 runs were earned.
Long’s leading batters were Harrison, 4 for 4, Rose and Poppell, 3 for 4 each, Kailyn Hall and Amira Kuhaneck, each 2 for 3, and Ch’Hyya Wright, 2 for 2.
Thomas said, “I was very proud of the way that we finished the game. We had some problems finishing Monday against Brunswick, so to see us playing our best at the end was encouraging.”
Friday and Saturday, the Lady Tide were in Reidsville for the Warrior Bash Softball Tournament.
Monday, Long County is back at home taking on Glynn Academy (1-1). That game is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m.