Lady Ramblers’ softball season comes to a close

The LaFayette Lady Ramblers’ return to the GHSA state softball playoffs was met with a gut-wrenching end last Wednesday as the Orange-and-Black dropped a pair of 1-0 losses at Stephens County in the first round of the Class 4A tournament.

Freshman Madison Pettigrew threw both games of the doubleheader and gave up just eight total hits in nearly 14 innings of work, but suffered a pair of extremely tough losses as LaFayette ended its season with an even 16-16 record.

“Madison pitched 14 great innings and really threw her guts out tonight,” head coach Glen Woodard said. “We just didn’t execute for her when we needed to.”

Pettigrew took a nohitter into the bottom of the seventh inning of a scoreless game in the opener. It was broken up when Karly Smith led off the final at-bat for the Lady Indians with a double.

The next batter would pop up on the

infield for out one, but opposing starting pitcher Emma Whitfield would single up the middle as Smith was waved home. However, LaFayette centerfielder Marquilla Howell came up throwing and gunned out Smith at the plate for the second out. Whitfield would move to second on the throw home and Katarina Fuller would come in as a courtesy runner for Whitfield moments later.

That brought up Ashton Ayers, who sent a groundball through the infield and into right. LaFayette came up throwing to first base to try for the force out to end the inning, but Ayers was called safe at first on a controversial call, allowing Fuller to scamper all the way from second with the winning run.

All three hits Pettigrew allowed came in the seventh and she finished with two strikeouts. Jada Allmon got the lone hit for the Lady Ramblers in the third inning.

Two errors, a walk and a sacrifice fly by Alana Dunson plated Fuller in the top of the fourth inning of Game 2 as Stephens County would take a precarious 1-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh.

LaFayette would load the bases against Whitfield with no outs as they looked to even up the series and force a Game 3 on Thursday. But Whitfield would strike out the two batters and was helped out by her defense as a diving catch in left field ended the game, the series and the season for the Lady Ramblers.

Pettigrew gave up five hits and two walks in the loss, while the run she allowed was unearned. Sydney Adkins had a double and Allmon, Pettigrew, Howell and Kayleigh Goff added singles.

The game marked the final one for eight LaFayette seniors, who returned the program to the state tournament for the first time in nearly a decade. However, Woodard said he is excited about the prospects for next year.

“All eight of my seniors played well,” he said. “I love them to death and we are really going to miss them. But we had five or six freshmen and sophomores that really played well this year too and I really think that core group we’ve got coming back will be able to compete next year.”