The rain finally held off enough for the Habersham Central Lady Raiders to finish their 2021 regular season with last Saturday’s double header against the region rival Dacula Falcons, which had been delayed multiple times throughout the season.
Game 1: Dacula 12, Habersham Central 3
The score makes it look a little more lopsided than it should, but Falcons showed just why they finished first in Region 8-6A, scoring 12 runs over the game’s seven innings. After they scored three runs in the top of the first, the Lady Raiders were able to respond with one of their own thanks to an RBI single from Hailey Wade to make it a 3-1 game.
Habersham Central kept the score close for a few more innings, but Dacula added two more in the fourth. The Lady Raiders were again able to answer back, but again it was with just one run off an RBI single from Joni Littlejohn.
The opposing team poured on their last seven runs in the final two innings and capped off their day at the plate with 12 runs. A sixth-inning RBI single from senior Landry Kelley added on another run for HCHS.
Game 2: Dacula 12, Habersham Central 10
The Lady Raiders offense had much more success in game two, but were still unable to catch up to the region leaders. Going into the bottom of the third down 5-0, the Lady Raiders erupted for four runs off five hits.
The Falcons didn’t waste any time putting more runs on the scoreboard though, they scored four more runs in the top of the fourth to make it a 9-4 game. Again the home team exploded for another huge inning right after, this time scoring five runs, highlighted by a 2-RBI double from Jayden Thomas.
With the game tied at 9-9 going into the top of the fifth, Dacula again couldn’t be kept off the scoreboard, adding two more runs. The Lady Raiders wouldn’t be able to answer back this time though as the bid for an upset win in the final game of the regular season came up just short. Jayden Thomas again knocked in a run on an RBI double in the sixth, but that would be it for Habersham.
The Falcons would add one more insurance run in the top half of the last inning, to put the score at 12-10.
As the fourth seed in Region 8-6A, the Lady Raiders (13-14, 5-10) faced a tough matchup in the first round of the state playoffs against the 26-2 Pope Greyhounds in a best of three series.
The Habersham Central softball team lost in back-to-back games to the favored Pope Greyhounds in the best-of-three first round of the Georgia state playoffs Tuesday. The Lady Raiders were defeated 8-0 in game one and suffered a 12-1 loss in game two, ending their season.