Habersham Central’s softball earned its first win of the young season Thursday in a 5-3 triumph at White County.
White County got two runs in the second inning for the early lead, but the Lady Raiders responded with three in the top of the third.
Bailey Barfield got it started with a single, and Hannah Odum reached on a White County error on her sacrifice attempt. Jayden Thomas singled in one run, then Joni Littlejohn hit what looked like an easy sacrifice fly.
It ended up being a two-run play as the White County throw went awry, giving the Lady Raiders a 3-2 lead.
Habersham tacked on two more in the top of the fifth when Odum hit a one-out single to start another rally. Thomas singled behind her and the runners moved into scoring position on a groundout to first. Thomas scored on an error on the next play, and Emma Forester singled in another run to give herself a three-run cushion.
In the circle, Forester got the win, giving up three runs and scattering eight hits with four strikeouts.
“It was a great win. Emma pitched all seven and did a phenomenal job. Jayden and Hannah both had two hits, and Joni had two RBIs to back up her stellar defense at third base,” Lady Raiders coach Karly Thompson said. “Our pitching and defense got us out of some tough situations, and we manufactured runs when we needed to. I was excited to have both defense and offense come together at the right times. We definitely saw some things we can build on, but overall it was a great game.”
The Lady Raiders (1-1) played Stephens County at home Tuesday after press time, and they will return the favor Thursday, Aug. 18, when the two teams meet again in Toccoa.
Click here to get the final score from Tuesday’s game between Habersham and Stephens.
– Staff reports