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Barrow News-Journal
Award-winning local sports coverage
• Volleyball previews.... 2B • Basketball 8B
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Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Phone: 706-367-5233
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Section B
★★★★
SOFTBALL
Doggs off to a strong start
Photo by Kyle Funderburk
Winder-Barrow second baseman Alyssa Bond holds up the ball after catching an inning-ending popout during
the Bulldoggs’ season opener Tuesday, Aug. 10, at Jefferson. The Bulldoggs won 5-3 in eight innings.
WBHS defeats Jefferson in extras to open season
By Kyle Funderburk
kyle@mainstreetnews.com
JEFFERSON - Winder-Barrow
scored three unanswered runs over the
seventh and eighth innings to open its
2021 season with a victory over Jeffer
son Tuesday, Aug. 10.
The Bulldoggs defeated the Drag
ons 5-3 behind Marissa Metz’s perfect
3-for-3 night at the plate. Her highlights
included an RBI double and a run in the
fourth inning and a leadoff double plus
the eventual game-winning run in the
eighth inning.
Emily Hall handled pitching duties
for most of the night, tossing in six
innings and allowing seven hits while
holding the hard-hitting Dragons to
just three runs. Rylie Beddingfield took
over to pitch the last two innings. She
struck out three batters and only al
lowed two hits.
Jefferson used its entire pitching staff
against Winder-Barrow. Camoreea
Hart started and pitched four innings,
allowing only four hits, but her night
ended after giving up a pair of runs in
the fourth inning. Ravyn Saxon took
the circle in the fifth inning and tossed
Jefferson’s only two strikeouts of the
night, but she allowed Winder-Bar
row’s three decisive runs in the final in
nings. Taylor Spivey relieved her in the
eighth inning and secured the three outs
to give Jefferson’s offense a chance.
See WBHS, page 3B
Rain hits Apalachee
hard in early stretch
of schedule
Through Tuesday, Aug. 10, the Apalachee softball
team was supposed to have had five games complet
ed through the first week of the regular season. But
Mother Nature has had other plans.
Two of the Wildcats’ first five scheduled games
have been rained out, including a road game at Brook-
wood that was scheduled for Tuesday. Aug. 10, and
their season opener against Southeast Bulloch on Fri
day, Aug. 6, at Tattnall County High School wasn’t
completed.
Officially, Apalachee was off to a 1-1 start entering
its home opener against Archer that was scheduled for
Wednesday, Aug. 11.
The Wildcats are slated to be back in action Thurs
day, Aug. 12, when they host Mountain View at 6 p.m.
APALACHEE 1, SOUTHEAST BULLOCH 0
(UNFINISHED)
Apalachee led 1-0 in the bottom of the second in
ning Friday against Southeast Bulloch at Tattnall
County before rain washed away the rest of the con
test. The Wildcats’ game against Appling County that
had been scheduled for later Friday evening was also
rained out.
The Wildcats grabbed a first-inning lead on an RBI
single by Morgan Reynolds. Ryleigh Sapp pitched
two shutout innings in the circle and escaped a bas-
es-loaded jam in the top of the second with a lineout.
She struck out three batters and allowed two hits and
one walk over two innings.
APALACHEE 3, EFFINGHAM COUNTY 2
(5 INNINGS)
In the first game Saturday, Aug. 7, Apalachee took
a first-inning lead when Tiyara Wingfield singled with
one out and eventually came around to score on De
siree Trudel’s double.
The Wildcats got two more runs in the top of the
third on a two-run single by Sam Woody and held
off a late rally by Effingham on a big defensive play
when the Rebels got a base hit with the bases load
ed and scored two runs on the play before Trudel cut
down the third runner trying to score the tying run.
See Roundup, page 2B
FOOTBALL
Apalachee, Commerce battle to tie in preseason scrimmage
Photo by Kyle Funderburk
Apalachee defenders swarm around a Commerce run
ner during the teams’ preseason scrimmage Friday,
Aug. 6, at R. Harold Harrison Stadium. The contest
ended in a 14-14 tie after three quarters of varsity
action and a scoreless fourth quarter between the ju
nior-varsity units.
By Kyle Funderburk
kyle@mainstreetnews.com
Apalachee’s defense turned
in a solid performance in the
Wildcats’ home preseason
scrimmage Friday, Aug. 6,
but a few untimely offensive
sputters kept the Wildcats
from pulling out the victory
as the teams finished in a 14-
14 tie at R. Harold Harrison
Stadium.
Commerce and Apalachee
were knotted at 14 during the
junior-varsity fourth quarter
when the Tigers recovered
a fumble at their own 33-
yard line with 1:27 left in the
scrimmage. A few big runs,
including a long rumble up
the middle by Tysean Wig
gins. put the Tigers just out
side of field goal range with
just under a minute left. How
ever. a block in the back pen
alty on the next play pushed
Commerce back to midfield.
Without any timeouts,
Commerce was unable to
mount a final offensive and
the game ended with a tie.
Both teams started off
slowly and sloppily on of
fense, After Commerce punt
ed the ball away on the open
ing possession, the Wildcats
ripped off a pair of 14-yard
runs before bailing the Tigers
out with a pair of fumbles in
the next three snaps.
After another Commerce
three-and-out, Apalachee
went back on the attack,
driving all the way to the Ti
gers’ 21-yard-line before a
false-start penalty and a third
fumble. The Wildcats recov
ered the ball but lost 13 yards
right before the end of the
first quarter.
Things went from good
to great for Commerce
when Jabari Little inter
cepted a rainbow pass from
Apalachee quarterback How
ard Holloway. Little returned
the ball to the Tigers’ 28-yard
line and Commerce need
ed just three plays to reach
Apalachee territory.
Martin opened the drive
with runs of 10 and 15 yards.
Kemanni Home followed
with a physical 18-yard run
up the middle of the field.
Martin reached the end zone
three plays later on a 19-yard
pass from Landon Bunn
across the middle, giving
Commerce a 7-0 lead with
8:21 left in the second quar
ter.
Apalachee went back to
work on its next drive, pick
ing up 54 yards in its first
two plays. The Wildcats kept
from making the mistakes
that killed their first two pos
sessions and Holloway ended
the drive with a touchdown
on a quarterback sneak with
5:18 left in the half.
The Wildcats had a chance
to take the lead going into
the locker rooms after anoth
er Commerce punt, but they
missed a 42-yard field goal
wide right with less than a
minute on the clock.
They made up for that
blunder with a long touch
down ran by Colby Sikes
early in the third quarter to
take a 14-7 lead.
The Tigers’ next posses
sion was classic Commerce
football, covering 75 yards in
eight minutes. Martin ended
the drive with a 14-yard ran
up the gut to tie the game 14-
14 with 2:26 left in the third
quarter.
The JV squads took over in
the fourth quarter, but neither
could do much on offense.
Commerce gave the ball
away on a fumble on its first
possession of the quarter, but
Apalachee answered with a
failed fourth-down conversion.
The roles reversed on each
team’s next possession.
Apalachee is off this week as
it prepares for its regular-sea
son opener Aug. 20 at Wind
er-Barrow.
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