Comeback has Baylor in soccer state semis

Thanks to a pair of Elizabeths and two teammates named Lilly, the Baylor School girls’ soccer team lives to fight another day.

The Lady Red Raiders made a fierce second-half comeback at home to topple Pope John Paul II, 2-1, in a Division II-AA state quarterfinal on Saturday.

Baylor (16-5-1) scored both goals in the second half as Elizabeth Silva tied the match in the 63rd minute on an assist from Lilly Catalanotto. Elizabeth Stophel then sent in the winner in the 77th off a cross from Lilly Adair.

“To go down a score early and fight back shows a lot of heart and determination from this team,” Lady Red Raiders coach Curtis Blair said. “I am really proud of our team today to find a way to win.”

Baylor will take on Briarcrest Christian (12-1-2) in the state semifinals at 11 a.m. Thursday at Chattanooga Christian School.

› GPS 3, Father Ryan 1: The Bruisers received an opening goal from Hayden Wise while Arkansas commit Kennedy Ball scored two in Saturday’s home Division II-AA state quarterfinal win. GPS (12-2-1) will take on Hutchinson (10-4-4) in Thursday’s semifinal match at Chattanooga Christian School.

› Silverdale Baptist 3, St. George’s 1 (OT): The Lady Seahawks (16-1-1) scored twice in overtime to advance to the DII-A state semifinals, where they will take on University School of Jackson (17-2) at 11 a.m. Thursday at Baylor. Brooke Bolton, Addie Chapman and Abigail Witten had the goals for Silverdale, which had 22 shots on target.

› Boyd Buchanan 2, Harding Academy 1: The Lady Buccaneers (11-5-4) won their sixth straight match as Abigail Aman scored both goals on assists from Layla Smith and Julie Crawford had five saves in a DII-A state quarterfinal win at home. Boyd Buchanan will take on Battle Ground Academy (16-4) at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Baylor.

› Arts & Sciences 7, Smith County 0: Ella Hurst scored five goals and assisted on two by Cheyenne Frye for the Lady Patriots (12-6-2), who will make their second straight Class A state tournament appearance. CSAS will open play in the quarterfinals Wednesday at CCS.

› East Hamilton 3, Anderson County 0: East Hamilton improved to 15-4-1 by winning a Class AA sectional at home, and the Lady Hurricanes will play a quarterfinal Wednesday at GPS.

› Livingston Academy 3, Signal Mountain 2 (2OT): The Lady Eagles fell in heartbreaking fashion on the road in a sectional with a AA state tourney spot on the line. Signal Mountain (107) got goals from Jenny Daverson and Ava Duffey.

GHSA softball

Ringgold was eliminated with a 10-2 loss to Oconee County in the losers-bracket final of a Class AAA super regional at Sandy Creek. A seven-run fourth inning, highlighted by a two-run triple from Kate Newberry, was a big part of the Lady Tigers’ undoing.

Heritage in AAAA and Gordon Lee in AAA will represent the area as one of the final eight teams in their respective classifications when the GHSA’s double-elimination championship tournaments begin Wednesday in Columbus. Gordon Lee (24-5), an 11-time state champion, faces Pike County at 1 p.m., while three-time champ Heritage (236) takes on West Laurens at 5.

GHSA volleyball

The area’s five remaining teams in the state playoffs were eliminated with second-round losses.

In Class A, Dade County lost its best-of-five match at Mount Bethel 3-1, with AAA’s LaFayette — the top seed from Region 6 — losing by the same margin at Wesleyan. In AAAA, Area 7 champion Sonoraville was swept at home by Lovett, while Heritage lost 3-1 to Pace Academy in a match played at Holy Innocents’ in Atlanta. In AAAAA, Region 7 champ Dalton was swept by visiting Chattahoochee.