MILLEDGEVILLE — ELBERTON — It’s no easy task taking the reigning world champion Warner Robins girls softball team to the limits, but the local Baldwin County 12 and under All-Star team did just that recently as they came away from Elberton with a remarkable No. 2 finish in all of Georgia.

The players, quite disappointed after all the travel and hours put into several suspenseful tournaments, have nothing to hang their heads about as they now reflect on a historic  run (out of hundreds of teams), and can now look forward to many more championship moments on the prep level.

The run in Elberton will certainly go down as one of the best, if not the best, in Baldwin County history in that age division with the team finishing just one game short of a state title.

The team, led by head coach Walter Green and assistants Randy Dunn and Rip Raley, had the monumental task of having to beat the defending World Series (and world champion) Warner Robins girls twice, but the team certainly proved they, too, are the “cream of the crop” in the United States.

“We would have had to beat them twice. We lost our first game of the tourney, 5-4, to Habersham — but we fought our way back,” said Green Wednesday afternoon. “We lost the game in extra innings, too.”

The team turned around and had to play Columbia Northern last Monday and came away with a hard-fought 2-1 victory. The win was a historic one and proved once again that Baldwin County softball is making great strides.

“Baldwin County has never beaten Columbus in the Little League playoffs,” said Green. “And that’s something to be proud of.”

The Baldwin County 12 and under girls have had a remarkable run over the last three seasons, capturing three district championships and having three shots at a Little League State Championship.

“These girls started playing ball all the way back in February and are just a little disappointed it’s over now. But they accomplished more than they ever thought they could and now they know they can compete with anyone,” said Green.

After losing the first game in the tournament, the team’s unity and chemistry took over and carried the squad through the bottom bracket all the way to the championship game.

Behind the dynamic pitching of Sutton Long, Dixie Raley and Sarah Margaret Mason the All-Stars knew they could be a serious challenge for anybody in the tournament.

That’s when the defense of Karlie Harding, Kaylie Harding, Whitley Dunn, Sinclair Harding, Keely Murner, Taylor Long, Dakotah Young and Maddie Allen came into play.

With this 11-girl team, Green had All-Stars he could put in different positions if needed at anytime.

While in Elberton they had plenty of support, not only from their own families, but also from the 10 and under All-Stars and their families, too.

“We really want to thank everyone that supported us and those that help sponsor us throughout this journey that we will never forget,” said Green. “My coaches made it easy on me as they gave so much of themselves to this team. Also, we want to thank our team mom, Dell Mason, for everything this year and more.”

In two separate games in the tournament, the All-Stars were down by one run with the batter having two strikes with two outs — before blasting a clutch hit to either tie or win the game.

Eleven of the All-Stars will don cleats for GMC’s Middle School in the next few weeks, something that really bodes well for the future of the program. Star pitcher Dixie Raley will continue to notch strikes for John Milledge Academy this upcoming season.

“We are looking forward to having  those girls together at GMC for the next six years,” said Green. “Dixie is a great kid also. Her mom and dad are great people. Rip, her father, has always been a big part of what we were doing. With the Explosion, he keeps the dugout in order, lets the kids know who’s on deck and many other things. He’s just a terrific guy.”

There was also plenty of praise for assistant Randy Dunn.

“Randy is a workhorse out there. He does a lot of the meat and potatoes of the work. He puts in a lot of time and pitches batting practice to the girls. He’s been a big part of what we’ve done,” said Green.

The All-Star coach also added that his Georgia Explosion team, which utilizes players from the Baldwin County All-Stars, is really helping the girls to hone their skills and get their feet wet versus some of the top competition in the state. The coach hopes this competition will continue to get tougher and tougher so he can help the girls become their best.

“I started the Georgia Explosion three years ago. Nine of these girls played on the Explosion,” he said. “We’ll start back in the fall and will be playing A-Ball competition, which is the top level competition week in and week out. We aren’t going to hide from anybody, and we’re going to expose them to the best pitching and hitting.”

The Explosion play a rather prolific schedule throughout the year, playing September through Thanksgiving and starting spring ball in February — a total of 9 1/2 months of softball a year.

“Every one of them love it so much. They get upset when we aren’t playing somebody. They are always telling me, ‘Coach, find us somebody to play,’” said Green. “Their competitive drive is so much and they really wear their parents out.”

Green stated that he also wanted to thank Walmart for helping out the All-Stars during a fundraiser this year and that the team wouldn’t have made it so far without parental and community support.

“We want to purchase a half page ad in The Union-Recorder to thank our sponsors. We’ve received lots of help from local businesses because it’s expensive to run a travel team,” he said. “This team is our life and our family. We just want to thank everybody who supported us.”

Staff writer Keith Jump contributed to this article.