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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Demonettes softball team earns Bite 8 berth
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
For the second year in a row,
Warner Robins High’s girls
advanced to the Elite 8 of the
GHSA Class AAAAA softball
championships. The Demonettes,
one of three schools represent
ing Region 1-AAAAA in Columbus,
are set to take on No. 8 Peachtree
Ridge at high noon Thursday at
the Columbus Softball Complex.
Senior Amy Hutcheson is cer
tainly looking forward to her first
time playing in Columbus. She
missed out on the 2006 playoffs
with a broken nose. A broken fin
ger took some of her playing time
this year away.
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Journal Don Moncrief
Westfield’s Mason Moreland slides in safely at second in the Lady Hornets GISA AAA state tournament opener
against First Presbyterian Day Saturday in LaGrange.
Westfield denied title repeat
By DON MONCRIEF
Journal Managing Editor
One hit. One key, clutch
hit.
That’s all that stood
between Westfield and the
GISA AAA
finals of the
state tour
nam e n t
Saturday in
LaGrange.
A hit
against
George
Walton in
the bottom
of the sev
enth in the
third game
of the day
and the Lady
Hornets’ bid
for back-to
back titles
WESTFIELD
mimrnrn
GISA State
Tournament
0 First
Presbyterian
Day 2,
Westfield 1
• Westfield 2,
Stratford 1
0 George
Walton 3,
Westfield 2
would remain alive. A hit
would have undoubtedly
brought Sydney Smith home
from third, tied the game at
2 and at least sent it into
extra innings. It probably
would have scored Mason
Moreland on second with
the game winner and given
Westfield a rematch against
First Presbyterian Day.
Ah, FPD. “It” is where the:
“One hit. One key, clutch
hit,” actually began. If the
Lady Hornets could have
just gotten: “One hit. One
key, clutch hit,” against the
Lady Vikings in the tour
nament opener that morn-
“I got hit in the
face and broke my
nose right before
state (last year),”
she said. “I broke
my finger halfway
through (this) sea
son. I was out for
three weeks.
“I’m feeling good
now. No more bro
ken nose or broken
finger.”
Hutcheson split
time at first base
with senior Kittery
Maine last year. She
waited until after
the state tournament to have sur-
iii v , *
Journal/Don Moncrief
Hanna Jones gets a big hug after her slow roller to second proved to be the game win
ner against Stratford.
ing, they probably wouldn’t
have had their backs so far
against the wall versus the
Lady Bulldogs in the latter
part of the day.
As it stood, Westfield out
hit FPD 6-3, while losing 2-
1. The problem was none of
those were of the aforemen
tioned “key, clutch hit” vari
ety. The Lady Hornets left
two runners on in the first
inning - one of those being
leadoff hitter Moreland,
which every team had a hard
gery. This year that position was
all hers until her second mishap.
“It was real disappointing. I had
a starting position,” she said. “But
I’m glad I’m back before state. I’m
glad it happened when it happened,
before the end of the season.”
A lot of other Demonettes would
like to forget how last year’s
Columbus experience turned out.
They lost to No. 1 Woodstock 5-3
with Woodstock scoring runs on
two hit batters in the first inning
and rallying for three in the sev
enth before Warner Robins could
finally get on the board.
The Demonettes would beat
Houston County High next, but
lose to Collins Hill.
WARNER ROBINS
DEMONETTES
GHSA South
Sectionals
# Warner
Robins 10,
Groves 0
# Warner
Robins 3,
Union Grove 2
# Warner
Robins 2, East
Coweta 1
time keeping off the bases.
Then, Westfield stranded
a runner in each of the sec
ond through fourth innings
- two of those in scoring
position.
Meanwhile, Kelsey
Gilliam, who worked all
three games on the day -
she struck out nine Lady
Vikings - was busy keeping
FPD in check on the mound.
She gave up only three hits
to Lady Vikings but a throw
ing error enabled both of its
The atmosphere now among the
Warner Robins softball players
could be described as relaxed and
focused.
“Last year, I think we were a
little overwhelmed by never being
before and seeing all the other
teams there,” said senior center
fielder Lauren Graham (no relation
to ace pitcher Kristen Graham).
“We were kind of intimidated.
“This year we know more what
it’s like. We know we can do it.
We’re not going to be scared to be
up there. We can hang with any
body.”
“We had a good team last year,
but now since we’ve been togeth
er for such a long time, all the
runs crossed in the third.
That inning started with
back-to-back singles. A sac
rifice moved the runners
over but also provided an
out. The next batter hit a
grounder to Moreland at
second. She fired home
where Audrey Clearman
had the plate blocked for
out number two. The next
hitter punched a grounder
to Christine Campbell at
third. It was fielded cleanly
See DENIED, page 8B
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2007 ♦
HoCo volleyball squad
finishes third in Area
Advances to state; Warner Robins
earns fourth, also headed to Roswell
Special to the Journal
The Lady Bears volley
ball team headed to Luella
this past Saturday with
hopes of an Area champi
onship and a trip to the
state playoffs.
They came home with the
third seed in the AAAAA
state playoffs. The Lady
Bears were the regular
season champions having
defeated all 10 of the other
Area teams and earning
them a first round bye.
The squad started the
tournament by playing
M.L. King High School
in the second round and
defeating it two games to
zero with scores of 25-14
and 25-13. They then had
to play Warner Robins.
This was their sixth meet
ing this year, it coming
in the third round. The
Lady Bears defeated the
Demonettes two games to
zero, this time with game
scores of 25-16 and 25-11.
This left two teams unde
feated and set up the semi
Despite their effort, Lady
Eagl es unable to advance
From staff reports
How Northside’s fast
pitch softball team isn’t
today preparing for
Thursday’s Sectionals
opener in Columbus is a
mystery - or as a minimum
a major credit to its com
petition.
The Lady Eagles entered
the state tournament in
Lovejoy Saturday Region
4-AAAA champions and a
No. 1 seed.
They look every bit of it
too to open, beating Starr’s
Mill 4-0 - three more runs
than they needed (two of
Northside’s RBIs came via
the bat of Kim Dominy)
considering Sarah Purvis
NS volleyballers fifth at Area
From staff reports
Northside’s volleyball
team entered the region
tournament this past week
end in Dutchtown as the
No. 6 seed but quickly sent
notice it was underrated.
The Lady Eagles did so
by upsetting No. 3 seed Lee
County two games to one.
Northside won the first 25-
15, lost the second 25-17
but took the third 25-16.
That was on Thursday.
seniors, we’re all relaxed and we’re
going out there to have fun,” said
senior right fielder Sierra Love.
“We take it seriously, but it’s more
to have fun.”
“We feel pretty confident in our
team and our ability to perform,”
said Graham. “We just have to
execute everything good and play
like we know we can.”
To get to Columbus, Warner
Robins went a perfect 3-0 in last
weekend’s south sectional tour
nament held at Lovejoy Park in
Hampton. The Demonettes began
things Friday with an easy 10-
0 win against Groves High as
Jensen Barrett pitched the shutout
See ELITE, page 4B
final in the winner’s brack
et with Union Grove High
School. The Lady Bears
won the first game 25-23
before dropping the next
two - 25-18 and 25-13. This
set up the semifinal on the
one loss side of the bracket
between Houston County
and Morrow, which the
Lady Mustangs won two
games to one. Morrow won
the first and third games
with the score being 25-17
in the first and 25-10 in the
third. Houston County won
the second 25-
After this match, the All-
Area awards were handed
out. These awards were
voted on by the area coach
es. Morgan Hollars was
named to the All-Area First
Team and Devon Preston
was named to the All-Area
Second Team. Lady Bear
Head Coach Tony Jones
was voted the Area Coach
of the Year.
“We played very well
early in the day,” Jones
See AREA, page i$C
tossed a no
hitter. She
also struck
out 14 in
the process.
In the
game,
the Lady
Eagles, who
had four
hits against
the Lady
Panthers,
scored one
in the sec
ond and
the other
three in the
third.
Next, Northside played
Evans and lost 2-1, with
See EFFORT, page 4B
Following things got a bit
rougher as the Lady Eagles
played and fell to No. 2
seed Dutchtown 25-15,
25-14. Saturday they took
Mount Zion about as far as
they could go but fell 25-23,
25-23, finishing the tourna
ment fifth out of 10 teams.
“We finished the season
with an 18-19 record,” said
Northside Head Volleyball
Coach Jessica White, in her
first year.
See FIFTH, page ifC
3B
NORTHSIDE
LADY EAGLES
GHSA South
Sectionals
0 Northside 4,
Starr's Mill 0
0 Evans 2,
Northside 1
0 Northside 1,
Jones County 0
0 Northside 2,
Mclntosh 1
0 Lee County
1, Northside 0