The Long County High School varsity softball team lost to Wayne County Monday, 14-1.
The Ludowici girls fought hard, but it was clear the girls from Jesup were an older, more experienced team.
Both teams were scoreless in the first inning. The second, however, closed with the Yellow Jackets up 5-0, off of four hits. In the third and fourth innings the Jesup team added 10 more hits and nine runs to go up 14-0.
As they have all year, the Lady Tide never gave up and put on their rally caps in the bottom of the fourth.
With one out Taylor Harrison slammed a double to get into scoring position. Taylor Holton hit another double, but the Lady Jackets were able to hold Harrison at third. Erica Golden was next to the plate, and when pitcher Kaitlyn Manning threw a wild pitch Harrison hustled in for the run removing the Lady Tide’s goose-egg.
That was the highlight of the night for the Lady Tide as the Yellow Jackets put Golden and then Samantha Garcia out to end the game.
The leading hitters for Long County were Harrison and Holton who both had the doubles, and Taylor Poole and Brittany Smiley, who both had singles. Kristi Corbitt led the way for the Yellow Jackets with a triple and a single. The winning pitcher for the Yellow Jackets was Manning, while Poole got the loss for the Lady Tide.
With the loss, the Long County team dropped to 2-6, while the 2A-AAAA Wayne County remains 7-0.
Lady Tide head coach Brian Thomas said he did see positives.
“We played good infield defense. We made some good swings at the ball. We had a couple of line drives that were good hits, they just made good catches. But I think the best thing I saw came right there at the end of the game,” he said. “The girls didn’t quit... That’s what a coach wants to see.”
Today, Long County girls play in Darien against McIntosh County in both team’s first 2-AA region game of the year. The Lady Bucs have a 1-0 record and a big 16-1 win over Savannah Country Day. The game begins at 6 p.m.