Stunning GSC walk-off ends GMC season

Published 6:30 pm Friday, May 3, 2024

CARTERSVILLE – Same score, but different results.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Reagan Waller snuck a two-out single through the artificial infield of the brand-new softball stadium of Georgia Highlands College Thursday. That brought in the winning run for the Gordon State Highlanders in an elimination game against the Georgia Military College Bulldogs at the 2024 GCAA Tournament.

GMC lost that game 3-2 and its first game of the tournament also played Thursday by a final of 3-2 to ABAC. ABAC, however, struck early with its three runs in the first two innings and held off any Bulldog rally. It was then Gordon State coming back from two one-run deficits to stave off being the first team to return home.

Gordon State entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed one game ahead of No. 2 GMC, but both teams ended up losing by one run to East Georgia and ABAC respectively. GMC went 3-1 against Gordon State in regular season play and put first-team All-Region left-handed pitcher Addie Moss in the circle against the conference’s Pitcher of the Year, Katelyn Munoz. Munoz already saw a short amount of action Thursday but struggled in the 5-4 loss to East Georgia.

The Bulldog offense was coming off a game where it left 11 runners on base against the ABAC Golden Fillies. In the first three innings against Munoz, GMC registered three extra base hits but only one run. That happened to be courtesy of a home run by No. 9 hitter Emma Riner leading off the top of the third.

Gordon State also had a high amount of runners left on base in its first game (12), and the Highlanders left six more on without scoring in the first four turns against Moss.

The 1-0 Bulldog lead held until the fifth inning. That’s when Gordon State put three runners on base all with two outs showing. The big blow was an Allie McGee RBI double tying the game 1-1.

GMC grinded out a go-ahead run in the top of the sixth. All-Conference first team infielder Hudson Smith led off with a single and moved into scoring position after Kaitlyn Hallman’s bunt. Bella Owens, starting at first base, gave GMC two in scoring position from a hit, and she was the last batter Munoz faced.

With two outs, catcher Paris Kirby grounded a ball off new pitcher Taylor Beigle, and the Highlander infield didn’t have a play anywhere. GMC reclaimed the one-run lead at 2-1 but ended the inning with the bases loaded.

The Bulldogs had excellent infield play in both games, especially from Reign Williams at third base. It was Smith at second base, however, who appeared to save the day in the bottom of the seventh.

Gordon State did some grinding out of its own with Madi Neal’s leadoff single. Emmalyn Gable put down a bunt that turned into a throwing error. Skyler Evans hit with a chance to bring home the tying and winning runs, but what she gave was a soft liner. The Highlander bench had some substitute runners out there, and when Smith snagged the ball she had an easy double play to Hallman at second base.

The game continued with a runner still on third base, and McGee’s walk kept Gordon State’s chances alive. What came next were singles to first tie the game 2-2 by Joni Littlejohn and to win it by Waller.

ABAC notched six hits in the first two innings of its game with GMC, which started Hailey Daughtry in the circle. Ava Roland’s first-pitch single with two outs gave the Fillies a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.

Ashley Archibald ripped a triple to right to start the second inning and scored on Dylana Barton’s single. With the bases empty and two down, ABAC was back to the top of its order, where Lexi Metts singled and scored on a hit by GCAA Player of the Year Laney McGee.

McGee was a hard player to get the ball past at third base as she snuffed out a second-inning GMC rally. The Bulldogs did get to pitcher Jaci Smiley, a left-hander, in the third inning as Karleigh Taylor led off with a single. Hallman and Owens made consecutive one-out singles to end the shutout, and with two outs Alyssa Jones’ clean single up the middle brought the score to 3-2.

And that’s how it stayed all the way to the end. Daughtry settled down to finish the start allowing only three more hits in four shutout innings.

GMC placed two on base with two outs in the home fourth but could not score. The major Bulldog threat was in the last-chance seventh as Jones doubled with two outs. Kirby also reached due to an errant throw, but she was the last of the 11 to be left on.