The Long County Lady Blue Tide softball team remained undefeated in region play with a big 3-2 win over the West Laurens Raiders on Thursday, September 10. The win came after a nearly 90-minute lightning delay in the sixth inning.
The win also came with its own set of drama as senior Alyssa Skipper got a walkoff single in the bottom of the seventh after the Tide trailed going into the sixth inning.
The Tide were on the board first in the first inning. Hollan Clark first made a big play for the Tide, making a big grab at the left field wall to end the top of the inning.
Skipper singled and stole second before Mackenzie Crews was caught in a rundown between first and second base, allowing Skipper to score. Crews also reached second safely.
Sophomore pitcher Sophia Brewster made personal history as she reached a milestone in the circle. In the top of the second, Brewster notched two strikeouts, the second ending the top of the inning and giving her 300 strikeouts on her career.
“I feel good, but there’s also a lot in preparation,” Brewster said, “especially with my changeup. That helped a lot today to keep them unbalanced and to not be readable.”
Clark made another big catch in the top of the fourth with a diving snag for the third out, keeping the Raiders off the board.
A single with runners on first and third produced West Laurens’ first run in the fifth and kept the Raiders with runners on the corners with no outs. A sacrifice fly put the Raiders ahead 2-1.
Brewster opened the bottom of the sixth, after the lightning delay, with a single, and with two outs, Crews singled up the middle to tie the game at 2-2.
Brewster struck out two more in the top of the seventh, bringing her total to 304, and she drew an intentional walk with two outs and a runner on in the bottom of the inning.
That brought up with Skipper with the winning run in scoring position.
“Oh, I was mad,” Skipper said. “It made me think more because I knew I had to get a hit. I was doing my two-strike approach so I could get a base hit.”
Skipper made the Raiders pay as she singled to right field, bringing home the winning run.
“Sophia didn’t have the best game that she’s had,” coach Harley Kennedy said, “but by God she figures out a way to get it done. Alyssa coming through at the end with the big hit - she’s been on fire lately and keeping her at the top of the lineup has been amazing for speed and keeping her on the base.”
With the win, the Tide move to 11-2 and 4-0 in region play. They hosted Liberty County on Tuesday, September 15.