The Franklin County Lady Lions softball team secured a chance to host the first round of the state tournament Wednesday but failed to bring home the Region 8AAA trophy. The Lady Lions finished second in the region tournament, hosted at Franklin County High School, by defeating Hart County 8-4 in the semifinals and falling to Oconee County 3-1 in the championship game.
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The Franklin County Lady Lions took second place in the Region 8AAA tournament Wednesday at Franklin County High School.
The Franklin County Lady Lions softball team secured a chance to host the first round of the state tournament Wednesday but failed to bring home the Region 8AAA trophy.
The Lady Lions finished second in the region tournament, hosted at Franklin County High School, by defeating Hart County 8-4 in the semifinals and falling to Oconee County 3-1 in the championship game.
Franklin will now host the No. 3 team from Region 5AAA at FCHS in the first round of the state tournament Tuesday. The seedings for 5AAA have yet to be announced.
The first round of the state tournament will be a best two-out-of-three series.
In the semifinal game, The Lady Lions scored four runs in each of the first two innings to build an 8-0 lead over Hart County and then held on for the win.
Kayleigh Chappell drove in three runs in the first inning with a double and then two more in the second with another double.
Hart scored one run in the third and another in the sixth to cut the lead to 8-2.
After scoring two more runs in the seventh, the Lady Bulldogs had the bases loaded before Franklin got the final out to win 8-4.
The region championship game pitted Franklin against No. 2 seed Oconee County after the Lady Warriors defeated Stephens County 2-1 in the semifinals.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning when Journey Roberts walked and was eventually driven in by a Kaitlyn Hill single to give Franklin a 1-0 lead.
Oconee answered in the top of the fifth with two runs to take the lead.
They were aided by a dropped fly ball and an error from the Lady Lions.
Oconee added a run in the top of the sixth after a lead-off double and follow-up single.
Franklin threatened to score in a couple of other innings.
In the first, the Lady Lions loaded the bases but weren’t able to drive a run home. In the sixth, Roberts doubled with one out but was stranded on second.
Lady Lion Coach Jason Oliver said Oconee is a very good team that made plays and got big hits.
Franklin was a “hit or two away” and a “play or two away,” he said.
Oliver said that the Lady Lions have gone into the state tournament before as the No. 2 seed – notably in their state-championship-winning season in 2018.
Oliver said that softball is split into two seasons.
The first, the regular season and region tournament, determines the seeding for the second, the state tournament.
The second season starts Tuesday with the Lady Lions with a 0-0 record, he said.