After a blistering 11-1 loss to Lawrence County on Sunday, Newton County softball coach Justin Chaney promised that he would fill the bus with a bunch of players who would battle on Monday.
He was right.
The Lady Cougars bounced back and beat Lawrence County 8-1 in Game 2 on Monday and then lost 4-3 in 10 innings in Game 3 to eliminate Newton County from the Class 4A playoffs.
Newton County finishes the season with a 25-9-1 record.
Lawrence Co. 4, NCHS 3
It took 10 innings before Lawrence County finally got the better of the Lady Cougars in Game 3.
Newton County led 1-0 after scoring in the sixth inning and went to the bottom of the seventh with the lead before Lawrence County scratched across a run to tie the game. In extra innings, using the international tiebreaker, each team scored one run in the eighth and ninth innings. Newton County loaded the bases in the 10th but Lawrence County came up with a big play on a line-drive out by Landree Amis with two outs. Lawrence then scored in the bottom of the 10th to take the win.
Newton County had six hits in the contest as Jada McDougle was 2-for-4 while Katelyn Gipson was 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Brittany Thomas pitched nine-plus innings and gave up one unearned run on eight hits and one walk with two strikeouts.
NCHS 8, Lawrence Co. 1
After getting hammered in Game 1, Newton County rebounded in Game 2 with a seven-run win to force a deciding Game 3.
Newton County had 11 hits in handing Lawrence County its second loss of the year. Lizzy Hollingsworth was 3-for-4 in the contest while Shelby Anderson was 2-for-5 with two runs scored. Jada McDougle was 2-for-5 while Lorren Ivey was 2-for-4 and each had one RBI. Karlye Tolbird also drove in two runs.
Brittany Thomas was dominant on the mound for the Lady Cougars as she pitched seven innings and gave up one run on five hits to pick up the win.
Lawrence Co. 11, NCHS 1
Lawrence County banged out 15 hits and took a run-rule victory over Newton County in the Class 4A South State finals.
Newton County scored its only run in the bottom of the fourth when Shelby Anderson walked to lead off the inning. Courtesy runner Lanie Phillips eventually came in and scored on an RBI single by Landree Amis, who had to leave the game in the sixth after a collision at the plate.
After going up 7-1, Lawrence County added two fourth and sixth innings for the final margin.
Anderson started in the circle for Newton County and gave up 11 runs on 15 hits and two walks while striking out three.
Newton County 9, Purvis 1
The Lady Cougars used four two-run innings to beat Purvis in Game 1 of the series on Monday.
Karlye Tolbird was 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Lorren Ivey was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored while Jada McDougle was 3-for-5 with a double. Lizzy Hollingsworth was 2-for-4 with two runs scored while Landree Amis had a single and two RBIs. Brittany Thomas and Katelyn Gipson each had singles and RBI hits.
Shelby Anderson got the start and pitched seven innings, giving up just one run on three hits and two walks while striking out eight.
Newton County 12, Purvis 2
Newton County used a pair of five-run innings to beat Purvis by the run rule on Tuesday and advance to the Class 4A South State finals.
Newton County against banged out 14 hits in the contest as Jada McDougle was 3-for-3 with a home run, four runs scored and three RBIs. Shelby Anderson was 3-for-4 with two runs scored while Katelyn Gipson was 2-for-4 and Karlye Tolbird was 2-for-3. Landree Amis had a double and drove in three runs while Loren Ivey and Lanie Phillips each had triples and scored a run. Brittany Thomas also had an RBI single.
Thomas got the start in the circle and pitched all five innings, scattering eight hits to allow two runs while striking out four.
