GUYTON -- Effingham County coach Johnny Coleman used a humorous analogy to assess his softball team's 9-1 loss at South Effingham on Thursday.

"Sometimes you are the dog. Sometimes you are the fire hydrant. Today, we were the fire hydrant," he said.

The Mustangs pounded 12 hits, many of them with two outs, in a contest that ended after five innings because of the mercy rule.

"Iit doesn't usually go this way," South Effingham coach Chuck Smith said. "We just hit the ball really well tonight. We also took advantage of some things they gave us.

"Any time you get 12 hits, you are going to be tough to beat."

 It was the first time either team had taken the field since school was closed on Sept. 8 because of Tropical Storm Irma.

"Maybe my team is trying to tell me they need more of a break," Smith joked.

See the Sept. 20 eddition of the Effingham Herald for more details.