Lady Bulldogs sweep Ridgeland in region DH
Two region wins last week is just what the doctor ordered for Cedartown softball.
The Lady Bulldogs crushed Ridgeland 13-0 in Game 1 of a Region 7-4A doubleheader on Sept. 15 at Cedartown High School. The visiting Lady Panthers fell 11-3 in Game 2. Now 11-8 overall and 5-6 in region play, the Lady Bulldogs sit fourth in the 7-4A standings.
“I think it’s big for our team and it’s just what we needed,” head coach Eddie Gambrell said over the weekend. “After losing some close games to Heritage the previous week, I was very proud of our girls for quickly regrouping and beating Ridgeland twice.”
Near-perfect pitching and welltimed hitting told the tale of Game 1. Emme Arp allowed only one hit in four innings, issuing no walks. After a scoreless first, Cedartown scored eight runs in the second, three runs in the third, and two runs in the fourth to claim a 13-0 victory in the run-rule shortened game.
Roslyn Blankenship hit her second home run of the season and drove in three runs. Marycille Brumby also sent a pitch out of the park, netting her fourth homer of 2020. All but one batter in the Lady Bulldog’s lineup recorded a hit in the win, while Kaylee Nikolopoulus tallied an RBI on a groundout. Every Cedartown batter also recorded either a run or an RBI.
Though Ridgeland had more success in the second contest, the Lady Bulldogs were still able to earn a six-inning mercy-rule win. Reagan Clarke pitched five innings, allowing three runs on nine hits and one walk. She struck out three Lady Panthers.
Arp relieved Clarke in the sixth inning, giving up two hits before retiring the side in the top of the sixth. Reagan Peek finished 3-for4 with three runs scored and one RBI while Ava Allred was 3-for-4 with three runs batted in.
Nikolopoulus drove in three runs and scored once in a 1-for-3 Game 2 performance. Brumby scored twice and had one RBI.
“Ridgeland had a few players that were out with a stomach bug so we knew there was a good chance we could win those games if we executed well,” Gambrell said. “I’m letting the girls know that when we make the drive to Rossville on Monday all their players should be healthy. We will be playing a completely different team.”
Cedartown will be busy to start this week. After Hurricane Sally forced the postponement of the Ridgeland series finale to Monday, Sept. 21, there will be a quick turnaround as Cedartown was set to travel to Southeast Whitfield for a Region 7-4A doubleheader on Tuesday.
They’ll host the winless Lady Raiders for Game 3 of that series on Thursday at Cedartown High School.
“It always concerns me when we have to travel an hour, hour-anda-half for a game,” Gambrell said. “However, I understood when we entered this region that it would be like this. It’ll be good to see how the team reacts because this could be a playoff-type situation as far as travel is concerned.”
Fans unable to drive to Rossville or Dalton on Monday or Tuesday can watch the game via WGAA Radio’s Facebook Live stream.