Offensive firepower on display for Ridgeland
They won’t go down as the prettiest three victories of the season, but when you are battling for the top seed in the region, you take them anyway you can get them.
Ridgeland leaned on its offense to collect three important Region 6-AAAA victories last week, rallying for a win at Heritage on Monday, holding on for a win at LaFayette on Tuesday and surviving an upset bid by visiting Southeast Whitfield on Wednesday.
Ridgeland 8, Heritage 7
Trailing 6-4 with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth inning on Monday night, Haley Sandridge came through with a huge three-run triple and the Lady Panthers would go on to score a key region victory.
The three-run, threebagger highlighted a five-run frame that put the visitors up 7-6 and a wild pitch moments later allowed Sandridge to come home with the eighth run. The insurance tally proved to be huge as Heritage scored once in the bottom of the seventh before the Lady Panthers could finally slam the door.
Sandridge finished the night 3-for-4 and had a double to go with her triple. She also scored twice in addition to her three RBIs. Katie Carruth singled twice and scored twice, driving in a run, while Kiera Foster went 2-for3.
Hailey Carroll hung on to get the victory. She gave up seven runs on 12 hits and three walk with two strikeouts as Ridgeland swept the season series from the Generals.
Ridgeland 9, LaFayette 7
The Lady Panthers led 5-0 and 9-3 in south Walker County, but had to stave off a fourrun rally by the Lady Ramblers in the bottom of the seventh to claim the victory.
Sandridge went 3-for4 with two doubles and an RBI in the win. Davis had two hits, including a two-run triple. Carruth added a big two-run single, while Laine Hicks had a double as one of her two hits.
Carroll gutted out seven innings in the circle. She allowed seven earned runs on 11 hits with two walks, but picked up the win.
The victory gave Ridgeland a split with LaFayette in the season series.
Ridgeland 9, Southeast 8
Wednesday night back in Rossville, the Lady Panthers saw an early 3-0 lead disappear as the Lady Raiders put up five runs in the top of the third. Ridgeland battled back to tie the game, only to see Southeast get solo homers in both the fifth and sixth innings to forge a 7-5 advantage.
But Sandridge capped a mammoth three days by launching a mammoth three-run homer to centerfield to give her team an 8-7 lead in the sixth. Southeast would tie things up in the top of the seventh, but in the bottom half, Grayson James ripped a leadoff double, took third on a
sacrifice bunt by Hicks and scored the gamewinner on a wild pitch.
Davis went 4-for-4 with four line-drive singles, while Sandridge finished with two hits and a team-high four RBIs. Hicks was 2-for-3 and scored once, while Erin Hughes crossed the plate twice for Ridgeland, once as a courtesy runner.
Carroll allowed 13 hits and seven earned runs in seven innings, striking four and walking just one to get the victory in the circle.
Her final two strikeouts came with runners at first and second in the top of the seventh.
The Lady Panthers played in the North Cobb Classic over the weekend, defeating Sprayberry (12-1), Campbell (9-6) and Cartersville (8-0), but falling to the host school, 5-4, in Saturday’s finale.