Varsity's game against East Hall that was scheduled for 7:00 pm Tuesday, July 22, was rained out.  It has been rescheduled for 8:30 pm on Wednesday, July 23, at Talon Field.  It will be played right after the varsity beats Parkview at 7:00.

Our yearly Hit-a-thon is this Saturday morning and Coach Keith would like all players to be at East Hall by 9:15 am in order to be ready for the start of action at 10:00.  The event will most likely continue until about 1:00, then an hour break before the varsity scrimmages East Hall, if the heat index allows.

This is one of our best fundraising opportunities so encourage your daughters to solicit pledges that will help lower your cost of playing this year.  Girls - come ready to hit the cover off the ball and earn some dough in the process!

Our first game of the Lanier Point Invitational this coming Friday night, August 15th, is at 6:30 pm, which was the original time on the pre-season schedule.  Earlier this week we had posted 6:00 as the starting time, which is incorrect.  Game Two is still at 8:00 pm.

Our first game Saturday has been set for 11:00 am.  Y'all come on down, y'here!

Our girls fought hard against the likes of Rabun County, Union County, Westminster, Gainesville, East Hall, and Banks County but couldn't come out on top in any of the contests.  One of the losses was by one run, another by two, and a third by three, and a key hit or two, or a key play, may have made the difference in any of those affairs.

One of the highlights was our bats coming alive against Gainesville as we smacked the ball around at a .480 clip for the game, and sophomore shortstop Ashley Payne was smokin' 'em at a .467 average for the tournament.   Juniors Kenisha Wiggins and Desirae Gooch also deserve mention for their bat work as well.

Sophomore starter Stephanie Ward ended with a 2.19 ERA for the tournament, and overall her and fellow sophomore Nicole Long combined for a respectable team ERA of 3.62.

Our fielding was costly at times but there was some decent leatherwork throughout.  Sophomore Katy Womack was pretty solid behind the dish and sophomore first baseman Jessie Stone handled most of her chances as well, with senior Rachel Montrois playing error-free ball in center field.

Overall it was a great opportunity for everyone to play a bunch and for the coaches to tinker with the lineup to see what works prior to the season opener this week. 

Click on the game titles below to see game stats and details and don't forget we start for real this Tuesday at home against North Hall.  Everyone come on down and cheer for our girls as they battle the Lady Trojans!

Our JV girls kick off this year's regular season action at 4:30 at Talon Field on Tuesday, August 19th.  Varsity follows at 5:55 as both teams take on the Lady Trojans of North Hall.  Come on out and see if we can put a big War Eagle Whuppin' on our North Hall neighbors!

On Thursday this week we travel to Johnson and game time there is 4:30 for JV and 5:55 for varsity.

Our girls went 1-1 for the first week of the regular season, putting them ahead of White County (0-1) in sub-Region 7A.  The Lady War Eagles also have more wins at this early point than East Hall (0-1), Gainesville (0-2), Johnson (0-2), and West Forsyth (0-2), and are tied with Flowery Branch (1-1).  Although these teams are all in sub-Region 7B, they are local teams and it feels good to be looking down in the standings at them.

Our sub-region is the stronger of the two right now, with four undefeated teams, including North Hall (2-0), Creekview (2-0), Lumpkin (2-0), and Pickens (1-0), with our girls tied with Gilmer at 1-1.

We face sub-Region 7B leader West Hall (1-0, 6-1) Tuesday night, August 26th, at Talon Field, where we'll look to even their record.  Y'all come on out and see if we can do just that!

Tropical Storm Fay finally arrived and has apparently caused the cancellation of Tuesday's game against West Hall for both JV and Varsity.  That means we will have no game at all this week as Thursday night is Open House for all Hall County high schools, including ours, so no games were scheduled for that night either.

Looks like our next game will be the Tuesday after Labor Day, Sept. 2nd, when we host East Hall.  Also that week is the Buford Invitational on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with our regular away game against Gainesville on Thursday.  Y'all get all your relaxing in big time over Labor Day, 'cause next week is a busy one!  Happy Labor Day!

Our girls get a chance to play a lot of softball next week, starting on the Tuesday (9/2) after Labor Day with East Hall at Talon Field.  Then we have the Buford Invitational starting on Wednesday (9/3), with two games at Forsyth Central, one at 5:30 against Jefferson and the other at 7:00 against Forsyth Central.

Thursday (9/4) has us at Lanier Point against Gainesville, and Saturday (9/6) the Buford Invitational continues at Buford, starting at 8:00am against Wesleyan.  Game times after that will be determined by our record at that point.

There is no game for us on Friday (9/5) as originally scheduled.

Sophomore Stephanie Ward had speed, location, and pitch command tonight as she held off the East Hall Lady Vikings to post her first win of the year and move the War Eagles to 2-1 in Region play.  Steph threw 69 strikes in 90 pitches and never let East Hall get a big inning going.  Her 5 strikeouts were all big and the only free pass came on a pitch that was a little too inside and knee-knocked the Viking leadoff in the 3rd, who eventually scored.  None of the runs, however, for the Lady Vikings were earned on the night.

Although Chestatee errors did lead to Viking runs, there was considerable brilliance in the field by our girls.  We witnessed not one, but two - yes, two - double plays in this game.  The first was started by freshman catcher Kerstin Smith, who pounced on a bunt attempt and fired to Jessie at first for the first out, whereupon Jessie quickly rifled one across the diamond to gun down a sneaky Viking runner at third.  Nicole made a nice grab and tag at third and held the ball even as she was swept off her feet by the sliding runner.  Steph then struck out the next batter to put a quick end to their rally hopes in the fourth.

Our other double play was a patented Ashley 'Gracie' Payne Special, as she snared a popup and quickly fired to first to catch another runner napping off the base, as we have seen her do several times this year.  Stephanie Ward helped her own cause by fielding her position well, including a nice grab and throw of a hard-hit hopper to end the second inning and keep our girls on top 5-1 at the time.

Chestatee led this game from the start, plating five runs in the first on 3 hits, 2 walks, 3 Viking errors and a wild pitch.  Desirae, Rachel, Stephanie, Kerstin, and Nicole all scored in the first, while Steph scored again in the 2nd to account for all our runs.

Kerstin was the hitting star in the game, going 2 for 3 with 2 RBI's and a stolen base, while Desirae, Rachel, Jessie, Jeannie Arthur and Kellie Dooley all had base knocks as well.  Ashley, while hitless on the night, did drive in a run in the big first inning on a groundout, and Desirae stole second in the 3rd, but was stranded.

While all our girls did what they had to do to win, this game belonged to Stephanie.  She faced down the tying run in the top of the 7th, getting the batter to weakly fly out to Jeannie in right field to end the game in high drama!

At this point in the season, Chestatee, at 2-1, is in 5th place out of 7 in sub-Region 7A (AAA), which is the stronger of the two subregions.  If we were in 7B, we would be tied for 2nd with Flowery Branch.  As it is, we have a better regular season record than White County and Gilmer in our bracket (7A), and ahead of Gainesville, East Hall, Johnson, and West Forsyth in 7B.

Click on the game heading below to check out game stats or click on the stats tab at the top of this page to view season stats.  When you look at the season stats, you can click on 'Regular Season', or 'Lanier Point', or 'Combined' in the heading to view the various stats.  There are no stats entered for Early Bird.

The Buford Invitational is upon us as we head to Forsyth Central on Wednesday (9/3) for two games, the first at 5:30 and the second at 7:00.  Let's see if we can keep our two-game win streak going!

Our girls battled the Lady Dragons close for awhile but the dam broke in the 3rd as Jefferson rolled 9 runs across to chase starter Nicole Long from the game.  Nicole surrendered 6 hits, 3 walks, 3 wild pitches, and a hit batter, but did manage 2 strikeouts and only 4 earned runs against a strong hitting team. Steph came on for an inning and allowed 3 runs (none earned) on 2 hits, a walk and a strikeout.

Our bats were stifled by the Jefferson hurler, who featured one of the best changeups we have seen.  Most of our 7 strikeouts were on this amazingly tantalizing floater, and it seemed several of our girls swung at it twice as it hung in the air daring to be hit.  Also featuring a pretty good fastball, their pitcher kept our hitters off balance throughout the game.  Ashley and Kenisha did poke through with back-to-back raps in the 4th, and Kerstin got thumped on the toe to load the bases, but all were stranded as the changeup did its' thing.

Kerstin handled the ball well behind the plate, and Jessie, Steph, Kenish and Rachel played error-free ball in the field.  The game was called in the 4th on the run-rule.

Game Two of the Buford Invitational started on a winning note as D'rae reaches on a walk, steals second, takes third on a passed ball, then trots home as Rachel gets to second on an error.  Rachel then beats the throw to third on Ashley's fielder's choice, and is soon batted in by Kenisha's drive to center.  Stephanie makes the 2-run lead hold up until the third, when the Bulldogs scrape together 3 runs to move in front for good.

Stephanie pitched 4 innings, allowing 6 runs (none earned), 6 hits, a walk, 2 wild pitches and a hit batter.  Nicole came on for the last inning and allowed 1 run on a hit and a walk.

Our hitters had figured out the Bulldog starter and were primed for more runs as they had loaded the bases in the second with one out, but Central brought in their #1 and she ended our threat by strikeouts.  She used a blistering fastball to strike out 8 of the next 11 batters, as our side of the scoreboard was silent the rest of the way.  Only Ashley, D'rae and Rachel were able to dent the hit column against their impressive pitcher.  Jessie accounted for our other hit earlier in the game while Steph and Katie walked as well.

Rachel, Kerstin, Kenisha, Megan, Stephanie and Nicole played flawlessly in the field, while Katie finally ended all the Bulldog running by gunning down a would-be base stealer to end their last at bat.

Next up is our regularly scheduled away game on Thursday (9/4) against Gainesville at Lanier Point, then an early game on Saturday (9/6) at 8:00 AM against Wesleyan at Buford Park as the Buford Invitational continues.  See everyone at Lanier Point.

In a game that appeared to be salted away for good, the Lady Elephants put on their hitting shoes and plated 9 runs on 8 hits, a walk and an error, including a two-out, bases-clearing, game-winning, walk-off double to the fence to leave all of us shaking our heads in disbelief.  Steph apparently ran out of gas as she threw 115 pitches and many of them were hit hard in the 7th.  She took the hard-luck loss while giving up 11 hits, 10 runs (8 earned), 3 walks, 5 wild pitches, a hit batter, and did tally 4 strikeouts.  Steph held an anemic Gainesville lineup scoreless for four innings and in fact had a no-hitter going through three.

Nicole came on briefly in the fifth but could not get anything going so Steph came back in to hold Gainesville in check.  She was enjoying a comfortable 12-4 lead going into the bottom of the 7th, but it was not to stay that way, as the Lady Elephants came roaring back.

There were many highlights to this game, in spite of the tough loss.  We hit .316 for the game and took advantage of a porous Gainesville defense that made 10 errors and allowed 9 unearned runs.  Our hitting stars were numerous, but Ashley was really shining with a 4-hit night, while driving in one and scoring 3 herself.  Desirae scored three times and had a pair of hits and a stolen base, while Jessie also had two hits, an RBI, and crossed home twice on the night.  Kerstin and Rachel both had a base knock and a ribby apiece, while Kerstin added a run scored and a stolen base. Megan Stowers and Steph both finally joined the hit parade with a hit apiece, and Steph's long single plated a run while she later scored one herself.  Not to be lost in the shuffle was a nice sac bunt by Kenish when the game was still close, and that led to a run just like they draw it up.  Our thumper for the game was Rachel, who took one for the team in the first and was whining about it later.

Rachel did, however, remind us oldsters of the great Mickey Mantle (whose number she wears) by running down a long deep drive late in the game and making a nice catch against the fence.  Now if you don't know who 'The Mick' is then come sit by me at the game and we'll talk great old-time Yankee baseball.

Anyway, trying to forget this game won't change it, so back to our fielding, which was pretty good as we only made 3 errors and handled most chances smoothly.  Ashley at short handled a blistering grounder like a pro and Megan at second almost made a great 'snowcone' catch on a ball she ran a long ways to get to.  Kerstin had another solid game behind the plate and our fielders made the plays and got the outs when they needed them throughout the game.  Until the 7th.

Next up is the continuation of the Buford Invitational early Sat AM with our game against Wesleyan at 8:00 AM at Buford Park.  Looks like a long day at the ballyard so come early, stay late, and I'll bring my Mickey Mantle book to read if you get bored.  And by the way, the Gainesville player who slammed the game-winning drive to the wall in the 7th . . . guess whose number she wears?

Wesleyan scored seven times in the first inning to put this one on ice early as the Buford Invitational continued Saturday morning at Buford High School.  Our girls were able to scratch out three runs in the middle innings as Steph and Rachel walked and were driven in by D'rae and Hallie Brown.  Hallie also went 2 for 3 and was knocked in by Kenisha after her first hit.  Jessie Stone reached 3 times on walks but was stranded and Ashley had her usual base rap as well.

Our fielding was one of the highlights of this game as we only made two errors and allowed no unearned runs.  Jessie was busy at first with 10 of the 15 putouts at her station.

Wesleyan stroked 6 of their 9 hits in the first inning, and chased Nicole in the second.  She allowed 9 runs (earned) on 9 hits, a walk, a wild pitch and a strikeout.  Steph came on in the third and gave up a hit to go with 3 strikeouts and a walk.

Buford showed why they were state champs last year as they scored at will against our girls, while their pitching was stingy with the hits, giving up none. Only Kenisha and Rachel had the privilege of standing on a Buford base by walks, while Kerstin earned it the hard way by getting smacked.  Hallie reached as well, but on a fielder's choice.  Hallie also had a stolen base and Rachel did lay down a nice sac bunt in the second.  Everyone else headed back to the dugout after their at bat, and 6 of our batters did u-turns after striking out.

Steph was not fooling many of the Buford batters, as they touched her for 12 earned runs on 15 hits, 2 walks, 3 wild pitches, and she struck out one. 

We had the first inning jitters in the field, as their first two batters reached and scored on errors.  Other than that we were OK, with Ashley getting a lot of work, and Rachel picking up a rare outfield assist by throwing out a slow runner at second.

Jefferson was up 6-1 after 5 innings, but our girls put a scare in 'em by pushing across 4 runs in the 6th to pull within one.  An upset was not in the cards, however, as Jefferson added an unearned run in their half of the 6th and we came up empty in the 7th. 

Our offense was most efficient, taking advantage of a walk, 2 timely errors and only 4 clutch hits to score our 5 runs and make this a real game.  Stephanie had the big hit, a two-run double (later scored) in the busy 6th, while Ashley was 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored as well.  Kerstin had an RBI hit and scored herself in the 6th, and Megan Stowers was driven in by Nicole in the rally inning after reaching on an error.  Nicole also reached on a walk early in the game and courtesy runner Jennie flew around the bases to score on a fly ball by Ashley.  Katy Womack also had a nice sac bunt to move Jennie into scoring position prior to Ashley's RBI.  We did strike out 8 times against Jefferson pitching but we gave a better accounting of ourselves than in the first meeting with them earlier in the tournament.

Our fielding miscues were at a minimum in this game and highlights included Ashley making a very nice running over-the-shoulder kind of catch in the first.  Katy also ended the Jefferson 5th by throwing a perfect bullet to Ashley at second, who made a nice catch and slapped the tag on a would-be base stealer.

Nicole pitched a good ball game, allowing 5 earned runs in 6 innings on 7 hits, 3 walks, 1 wild pitch, and struck out 3.  This was our best game of the tournament and against a very good team.

After spotting Union County 3 unearned runs in the first, we fought back to within one in the 4th before getting steamrolled in the 6th.  Steph kept 'em close until the 6th, when Union reached her for 6 runs on 6 of their 12 hits to win going away. Stephanie's line score also included 6 earned runs, 3 strikeouts and 2 wild pitches.

Rachel was the hitting leader, going 2 for 2 with a hustling first-inning double, which allowed her to score on Stephanie's RBI single a batter later.  Rachel was also smacked in the batter's box in the 3rd, and is still whining about her bruise today.  Ashley, Nicole and Megan all reached on errors, and Nicole's courtesy runner Jennie scored when Megan reached on her error.  Kenisha also had a base knock in the 2nd but was stranded.

Our fielding slipped after a long, hot day, but Kerstin was busy in right field and made several nice catches.

A review of our season stats after the Buford Invitational show that our pitching and hitting suffered, but that our fielding improved.  Our girls had a chance to play some of the top teams in the state and gained valuable experience by doing so.

Next up are our regular region games this week, with Flowery Branch coming to our place Tuesday (9/9), while we invade West Forsyth on Thursday (9/11).

Our girls managed only one hit against Flowery Branch in a run-rule loss at Talon Field Tuesday night.  The lone hit by Jessie moved Kerstin over after she walked, where she was driven in by Kenisha on a nice bunt.  Stephanie also walked and Rachel reached on an error.

Stephanie started and was touched for 5 runs (4 earned) on 6 hits, a walk, a wild pitch, and she struck out one.  Nicole came on in the 4th and allowed 4 earned runs on 3 hits, 2 walks, a wild pitch, a hit batter and she struck out two.

Next up is our makeup game against West Hall Wednesday night (9/10) at Talon.

All 9 runs for West Hall were unearned and the game ended early again as we could only post one hit for the second straight night against opposing pitching. 

Nicole started and went 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits, 2 walks, 2 wild pitches, 2 hit batters and did notch a strikeout.  Stephanie came on in the 6th and allowed 7 runs on 1 hit and she did strike out one and had a wild pitch as well.

Megan Stowers punched our one hit up the middle while Hallie and Kenisha reached on walks but all were scattered and stranded.  West Hall pitching struck out 10 War Eagle batters.

Our girls played without gloves in the 6th inning as we made 7 errors in 12 at bats, and had 8 miscues for the game.

Next up is our weekly away game as we travel to West Forsyth on Thursday (9/11).

West Forsyth pitching shuts down our offense, allowing only 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3 in a run-rule game at their place.  Our only threat came in the second when Kenisha walked, Rachel reached on a fielder's choice, and Steph reached on an error, but both were stranded.  Katy and Ashley added a hit apiece later in the game, and Kerstin reached on a walk as well. 

The Wolverines, meanwhile, kept pecking away, scoring 2 in the first, 3 in the fourth, 2 more in the fifth, and the game-ending run in the sixth.

Steph started and went 5, allowing 7 runs (5 earned) on 7 hits, 3 walks, 3 wild pitches, a hit batter, and she struck out 3.  Nicole came on in the 6th and allowed 1 earned run on 2 hits.

Next up is the North Fall Classic, with Chestatee slated to play two games at Talon Field on Monday (9/15).  First up is Flowery Branch at 4:30, then Habersham at 6:15.  No other Classic tournament games for Chestatee are scheduled at this time until Saturday (9/20), when games start at 8:00.  We won't know when or where until weekly pool games are finished and Saturday's brackets are set.

We also have our regularly scheduled games, hosting White County on Tuesday (9/16) and traveling to Lumpkin on Thursday (9/18).

Steph held Flowery Branch to one run after 3 innings in the opening game of the North Fall Classic at Talon Field Monday night, but they reached her for 5 in the 4th and 5th to dispatch our War Eagles.  Steph allowed 2 earned runs on 7 hits along with a wild pitch and 3 strikeouts, while Nicole came on for the 6th and allowed 1 run (earned) and had a hit batter.

Our hitters scratched out 4 base knocks and pushed across their run in the 6th to avoid the shutout.  Desirae led off the action with a nice hit to the opposite field, forced an error trying to steal second and ending up at third.  Jess then reached on a fielder's choice and took off for second, drawing a throw for the out but allowing D'rae to scamper home.  Our girls tried to add to our scoring surge as Nicole sliced a nice hit to right that was misplayed, allowing her to blaze around the bases and slide headfirst into third in a cloud of dust.  Rachel reached by getting thumped again, but both were stranded.  Kenish and Steph both had a hit earlier in the game while Kerstin and Jennie reached on a walk.  Rachel also reached on an error and had a nice sac bunt, and Megan reached on a fielder's choice to tally up our baserunners.

Megan also made a very nice grab of a screaming ground ball for the first out of the 5th, and we generally played well in the field.

Eight of our 13 batters struck out and only Katy Womack walked to a base rather than back to the dugout as Habersham pitching really shut down our girls in game 2 of the North Fall Classic at Talon Field.

Habersham hitting was just as strong as Nicole was touched for 8 runs (5 earned) on 9 hits, a walk and a wild pitch in this four inning run-rule loss.

We did have several nice plays in the field, including Nicole making a great reaction catch of a blistering comebacker from their second batter of the game.  Two hitters later Katy Womack, playing her first game at third, made a similar play on a smash down the line to end the scoreless inning in grand style.  Habersham rebounded quickly in the second to plate 5 runs and were off to the races.

Next up for the North Fall Classic are games on Saturday (9/20), at Talon Field.  Times and opponents are to be announced later.  Tuesday (9/16) is our regular home game against White County.

Steph held White County scoreless for 2 innings, but Warrior bats erupted in the 3rd and 4th for 7 runs, and they added 2 more in the 6th to hand our girls another run-rule loss.  In four innings of work, Steph allowed 7 earned runs on 8 hits, 3 walks, a wild pitch, and she did strike out 3, including 2 on a nice changeup.  Nicole came on to pitch the last two innings, and allowed 2 earned runs on 3 hits, 2 walks, 3 wild pitches, and she struck out 3.

Our girls avoided the shutout by timely and clutch hitting against a very tough lefty, putting 2 of our 3 hits back-to-back, and with two outs to boot.  Rachel started the ball rollin' in the 5th by stroking a solid hit to center, which broke up the no-hitter.  Katy then stepped in and decided to break up the shutout by lacing one right over the bag at first for a fair ball into the corner, sending Rachel racing around the diamond to light up our side of the scoreboard.  Other than our mini-rally, things were pretty quiet, as Warrior pitching struck out 10 War Eagles, including several on a nice change.  Ashley did have a base rap in the 6th, then Desirae was whacked on the wrist to get aboard, but their pitcher bore down and ended the game with K's.  D'rae also walked earlier and Kenisha reached on an error as well.

Our defense was pretty solid in this game as we made only one miscue, and that did not hurt.  Katy was flashing some leather at third again and everyone else was all business as we just got plain whupped by a good team.

Next up is our away game on Thursday (9/18) at Lumpkin County High School, and the North Fall Classic continues on Saturday (9/20), with times and opponents to be announced.

Lumpkin scored early and often to end this game quickly, pounding out 11 hits and batting around in the 3rd inning to run-rule Chestatee at their place.  Nicole found the going tough as she surrendered 7 earned runs and a walk but did strike out 5 batters in a very strong lineup.  Indian hitters not only hit the ball hard when they wanted but they also laid down perfect bunts all night long as they put on a small-ball clinic.

Our girls tried to dent the scoreboard in the 4th as Rachel and Jessie stroked back-to-back hits with two outs, but this mini-rally was stifled by Lumpkin pitching as we struck out to end the game.  Eleven War Eagles struck out tonight while only Jess reached on an error and Megan reached on a fielder's choice.  Katy did have the best knock of the night in the 3rd as she powered one to the gap in deep left for a double but was gunned down later trying to score.

Next up is the continuation of the North Fall Classic on Saturday (9/20) morning, with our first game starting at 9:30, and the remaining games to be determined on Saturday.  All our games will be at Chestatee's Talon Field.

A long day of softball started with a bang and a hope as our hitting leader, Ashley, jumps all over a 2-1 pitch and drives it through the gap in right center for a leadoff triple as the North Fall Classic resumed play on Saturday morning at Talon.  A batter later, hot-hitting Katy Womack strokes the first of her three hits for an RBI single, and we have an early lead for Steph to work with.  And work with it she did, dueling the Jackson pitcher straight up for 4 innings, allowing only 2 walks, both of which scored on errors, while striking out 5 Jackson batters, one on a beautiful changeup, and allowing no earned runs.  When Steph left in the 4th for Nicole, she was throwing a no-hitter but losing 3-1. 

Nicole took right up where Steph left off, and struck out one on a nice change, allowing no earned runs, walking one and giving up Jackson's only 2 hits in their last at-bat.

Our girls fought back throughout the game, but could not break through with a big hit as we stranded 9 who reached in a variety of ways.  Katy had a big 3-hit day and Megan added a base knock as well, while Courtney had a walk and a fielder's choice, Jess walked, Nicole and Kerstin reached on an error, and Megan reached on a fielder's choice as well.  Ashley's triple and run scored was the only earned run of the game.

Our fielding highlights were slim in this one, but freshman Courtney Hall, starting in left field, began a relay that ended in an out, thereby earning for herself a rare outfield assist.

Johnson actually outhit our girls 2-1, but 10 Knight walks and 5 errors were the story in Game Two of Saturday's Classic.  Stephanie was the beneficiary of all this charity, and notched the shutout by giving up only two hits and striking out three.

Steph was also our hitting star, stroking Chestatee's only hit in the last inning, although it did not figure in the scoring.  All the action occurred in the second inning walk-a-thon, when the plate disappeared for their pitchers, resulting in 9 walks, including 6 in-a-row.  Add in the four errors that inning and there's your ballgame.  We earned 6 of our 10 runs, all without touching the ball with a bat.

Our fielding star was Kenisha, showing her versatility by playing in right field, and making a running shoe-string catch of a sinking popup in the last inning to liven up the ballgame.

Hart County did all the hammerin' in Game Three of the North Fall Classic, rippin' out 12 hits, including 3 inside-the-park homers to soundly whup our girls as Saturday play continued.  They didn't lighten up on the mound either, as their hurler tossed a crisp no-hit, run-rule shutout just as pretty as you please.  In fact, this one was about as close to a perfect game as you can get, as they set us down in order every inning but the last, when Jessie reached only because the ball bounced away after she struck out.  Megan did walk in the 3rd, but was quickly erased on a double play.  This loss was a real business man's special, quick and to the point.

Nicole had the bad luck to start this one, and she lasted one and two-thirds, giving up 8 runs (5 earned) on 5 hits, including the 3 round trippers, and she had two wild pitches.  Steph came on and they were ready for her too, adding 4 more earned runs on 7 hits, while Steph did strike out one and plunked one as well, which I guess you could say was our only hit of the day.

Everything went right for our girls in their last Classic game as we finally enjoyed the winning side of a run-rule game.  East Hall kicked the ball around to hurt themselves, but we earned this win on our hitting, pitching, and, yes, even our fielding.

We jumped on top in the first when Rachel punched one through the opposite side, took second when the right fielder bobbled the ball, and was driven home on a base knock by Stephanie.  The game stayed close until the third, when we batted around, scoring 5 runs on 5 hits, and went on to add two more in the 5th to end the game ahead of time.

Our girls had their hitting shoes polished, as Rachel and Stephanie paced the team with two knocks and two runs scored apiece, while Steph had two RBI's.  Jessie had a hit and two ribby's, while Ashley, Kenisha, and Jennie all had base raps and scored as well.  Rachel and Stephanie also reached on errors to get aboard every at bat, while Kerstin and Kenisha also reached on miscues, with Kerstin adding a run scored.

Steph pitched the complete game two-hit shutout, keeping the Viking hitters off balance with speed and location.  She walked one, struck out four, and was in control all night, never allowing East Hall a big inning.

Our fielding was very efficient, thanks in part to Steph's pitching, as we handled most chances smoothly.  We were also aggressive on defense, with Kerstin gunning down a would-be base stealer, and Rachel making a nice running catch of a twisting drive in the 1st. 

Rachel, our only senior, was awarded the game ball for her performance in this game.

Next up is our regular home game on Tuesday (9/23) against Creekview, and that is Senior Night as well, so everyone come on down and give Rachel her props, and maybe a few dollars as well, says her dad.

Creekview brought their undefeated region record to our Senior Night and pretty much had their way with us, pounding out 15 hits, including a leadoff inside-the-park homer, and left 12 runners on base throughout.  In the final home game of the 2008 season, our only senior, Rachel, was honored, and then went out and delivered our only two hits and added a stolen base as well.  Jennie walked her way aboard and Ashley reached on an error, but no one else did as Creekview pitchers struck out 12 War Eagles, including 6 in-a-row at one point.

Steph started and went 3 innings, giving up 5 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits and she struck out 2.  Nicole relieved in the 4th and allowed 5 runs (3 earned) on 9 hits, 1 walk and a wild pitch.

Next up is our weekly away game and this one is really away, as we travel to Gilmer County on Thursday, 9/25.  Our final game of the season is next Tuesday, 9/30, also away at Pickens, for the second year in a row.  The play-in game for the Region Tournament will be the following Monday, 10/6, at the field of a region opponent yet to be determined.

Our visit to Gilmer was short, as the Lady Wildcats scored 7 in the first to chase Nicole and create playing time for their subs.  Their first 3 batters reached and scored on errors, and the rest were seeing the ball really well and hitting it hard, including an in-the-woods-homer that they are still looking for.  Nicole allowed 4 earned runs on 4 hits, a wild pitch, and she did have a nice strikeout, which came right after the homer.

Steph came on and slowed down the hit parade, but they did reach her later in the game for 6 runs (3 earned) on 9 hits, 2 wild pitches and a hit batter.  Steph did notch 5 strikeouts, including ringing up the home run queen on a beauty of a change, and neither of our pitchers walked anyone tonight.  Gilmer batted around in the 6th to score 4 more and end this one early.

Kenisha was our hitting attack as she dropped one in front of the right fielder in the 4th.  She promptly stole second (one of two for her), took third on a passed ball, then scored on Jessie's fielder's choice.  Jess then snatched second on a nice delayed steal, and scored on a Gilmer throwing error.  Kerstin also scored on that same throwing error after reaching on a fielder's choice.  Steph and Kenisha reached and scored on Gilmer gifts in the 6th to round out our scoring, all of which was unearned. 

Megan reached on an error in the 3rd, then Rachel was nailed again, but both were stranded.  Kenisha was also smacked to get aboard every at bat.

Our fielding was skittish again tonight but we did enjoy another Ashley Payne Special in the 3rd, which as you'all know is a quick-thinking double play, this time snaring a line drive, then firing to Katy standing on third to double up a wayward Ladycat runner.  At the time bases were full of antsy Gilmer runners and only one out, so we were able to keep playing and eventually make some noise of our own.

Our next and last regular season game is next Tuesday (9/30) at Pickens, then our play-in game the following Monday (10/6) at a site still to be determined.

A triple play and 4 runs scored pretty much set the tone for this game, as we could not push any runs across with 7 hits.  It all started well for us, as our first three hitters reached on an error and two hits, only to be erased by a one-in-a-million triple play, including two runners thrown out trying to score!

The frustration continues in their half of the inning as we turn a nice double play after a leadoff hit, but still fail to retire the side without damage.  The nifty leatherwork starts as Steph fields a grounder at third and fires to Jess for one out, then Jess fires right back to Steph who tags the runner out from first trying to grab an extra base.  However, 4 hits and 2 errors later and we're looking uphill at a 4-0 deficit.

We did battle at the plate all night, posting a .304 average while putting runners aboard in 5 of the 7 innings, but we could not get a clutch hit to dent the scoreboard.  Kenisha, Ashley, Jessie, Rachel and Nicole all reached on base hits, in addition to our 1st inning hitters, while Megan and Hallie Brown walked, but all were standed except Rachel, who was caught in a rundown on a delayed steal attempt.

Nicole started and pitched one inning, allowing 4 runs (none earned) on 5 hits, and had 3 wild pitches.  Steph pitched the remainder and was touched for 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits while striking out 3, and she plunked one and had a wild pitch as well.

Next up is our play-in game on Monday, 10/6, at a field and against an opponent that is still to be determined.