After the CCA Lady Patriots defeated the Robert Toombs Christian Academy Crusaders 12-8 on Thursday afternoon to advance to the finals of the state tournament, head coach Jeremy Coram commented that sometimes, his team didn’t like to do things the easy way.
They didn’t go off-script Saturday in the finals. It took the Lady Patriots two games to dispatch the Crisp Academy Wildcats but dispatch them they did. And the CCA Lady Patriots are the GIAA Class A state softball champions.
The Lady Patriots looked like they had game one under control through the first few innings. They led 4-0 after four but then the Wildcats scored three in the fifth and two in the seventh to take a 5-4 lead. In the seventh, Brilynn Waldron managed to reach on an error but she ended up stranded at first.
That set up a state championship-deciding game two. The game one loss was a kick in the teeth for the Lady Patriots. Instead of being shell-shocked by the defeat, they doubled down and didn’t leave anything to chance. The Lady Patriots scored two in the first, three in the second, two in the third, and one in the fourth to take an 8-0 lead after four innings. Crisp Academy first baseman Kylee Odom accounted for the Wildcats’ only run when she hit a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning – one of only three hits that pitcher Emy Lowery gave up in the game.
In the bottom of the sixth, Gracie Giddens hit a 2-2 pitch out of the park to center to give CCA an eight-run lead and end the game via run rule. It was her third home run of the tournament. She finished the game 3-4 with three RBI and a run scored. Emma Gourley, Abrah Harris, Waldron, and Lowery each had two hits. Gourley, Waldron, and Harris scored twice and Gourley also drove in three.
Lowery went the distance for CCA. She gave up three hits, one earned run, struck out two, and walked two.
“I’m at a loss for words, to be honest. I am just so blessed to have the opportunity to coach these young ladies. Losing that first game this morning and then coming back they way they did in game two is all you need to know about these girls. They are competitors and as of today, they’re state champions!” said Coach Coram following the game.
Crisp County had lost two games to CCA during the regular season. During the Wildcats’ run at the state tournament, they defeated the number one seed, number two seed, number three seed, and number five seed. They also faced four elimination games in 24 hours and won three of them. Crisp, the number six seed, battled throughout the tournament but in the end, they just ran out of gas.
The Lady Patriots finish the season with a 21-5 overall record and a 4-1 record in the state tournament. This is the second state softball championship in CCA history. And the best part? None of the Lady Patriots are seniors and all will be back next season.