TIFTON – A long layoff matched with some dominant Brewton-Parker pitching gave ABAC's Fillies a slow start in their first ever Southern States Athletic Conference doubleheader Friday afternoon. But they made up for it in the nightcap with a dramatic extra innings win.
The Fillies scored a run in the bottom of the ninth inning to win 9-8 against the Lady Barons in Friday's second game after being blanked in the opener, 9-0. In Game Two, with one out and two runners in scoring position, freshman shortstop
Bailey Carreker ripped a hard grounder that was misplayed by the Lady Baron shortstop, allowing pinch-runner
Olivia Britt to scamper home from third for the game-winner.
The walk-off win had a bit of everything but it began looking much like a replay of Game One. Brewton-Parker jumped out to a 5-0 lead entering the bottom of the third inning when ABAC finally got untracked.
Alli Eidson's RBI single scored
Lexi Metts for the Fillies' first run before
Ava Maxwell scored on a fielder's choice from
Emma Humphrey. Then, freshman pitcher
Anna Hutchison delivered the big blow with a bases-clearing, three-run double to tie the game at 5-5. Carreker followed with an RBI double for the Fillies' first lead of the day.
The Lady Barons quickly tied it again in the top of the fourth and it stayed tied until the sixth when Metts scored on Eidson's groundout to first. The game was tied 7-7 after the regulation seven innings and, after the visitors scored a single run in the top of the eighth, ABAC tied it again in the bottom half when Carreker tripled scored on
Laney McGee's double which set up the game-winner in the ninth.
After taking the loss in Game One, freshman
Tess Rollins earned the win in relief, allowing two hits and one earned run in the final three innings.
Friday's first game was as forgettable as the second game was dramatic. Brewton-Parker wtarter Keylee Odum was masterful, limiting ABAC to four hits for the five-inning complete game win.
Saturday, ABAC returns home for another conference doubleheader at 3 p.m. against Middle Georgia State College. Middle Georgia opened its conference schedule Friday with a sweep against Point University.
