Round 2 awaits
♦ Pepperell takes a big swing of momentum into its matchup against Monticello.
After a knockout performance in the opening round of the Class AA state playoffs, the Pepperell softball team is ready for round two.
The Lady Dragons will again head out on the road to face Monticello — the No. 3 seed from Region 8 — for a doubleheader on Wednesday beginning at 2 p.m. Pepperell opened the playoffs last week with a sweep and shutout of South Atlanta, dominating the top-seeded team from Region 6 while scoring a total of 31 runs in six innings of play in the doubleheader.
“I was very proud of how our team came out and responded last week in round one,” head coach Jeff Rickman said. “The kids have been working hard to get to this point. They’re excited about moving on to Round 2. Hopefully we can continue to work hard and improve and play our best.”
This year’s team is in new territory as the Lady Dragons (17-6) have been stymied in the opening round of the playoffs for the past three seasons, but seniors Sydnie Edwards and Maddie Clay hoping the momentum from their success in the first round will push them ahead.
“Those games are definitely a confidence booster for all of us,” Clay said. “Going into the next round, we definitely have a chance to make it further than the second round.”
“To be able to make it as far as we have, and the fact that we’re seniors, means that we’re going out with a bang,” Edwards added.
Clay had eight RBIs against South Atlanta, and Edwards had two RBIs in Game 1.
The Lady Dragons will face another big test in the Lady Hurricanes (16-6), who upset No. 2-seeded Lamar County in the opening round. Monticello finished the regular season with a 7-1 region record and came into the playoffs winning eight of its last 10 matchups.
In other Class AA action, the top-seeded Rockmart Lady Yellow Jackets (262), who have lost only two of their last 15 games, will host Banks County in their second-round matchup Wednesday with the doubleheader starting at 5 p.m. The third-seeded Lady Leopards (24-8) finished Region 8 play with a 9-4 record, beating Bremen in a decisive Game 3 in the first round of state.
No. 2-seeded Chattooga (16-7), which didn’t allow a single hit last week in its first-round matchup against Therrell, will visit Region 8 champion Social Circle on Wednesday at 5 p.m. The Lady Redskins (14-10) won six of their last seven after three in a row in September.
The Trion Lady Bulldogs (16-5) will travel to face No. 6 ECI on Thursday at 4 and 6 p.m. in the second round of the Class A Public State playoffs. The Lady Bulldogs opened the playoffs with a doubleheader sweep of Wilcox County — 2-0, 16-0. ECI (17-8) had a 12-game win streak to finish the regular season and earned a bye in the first round after being ranked in the top eight in the Class A Public Power Ratings.