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Effingham County Falls to Appling in Softball Season Opener
Rebels softball
Effingham County's Jenny Parker had one of the Rebels' four hits, a double, in a 6-0 season-opening loss to Appling County on Thursday in Springfield. (Mark Lastinger / Effingham Herald)

SPRINGFIELD, Ga. — Effingham County High School's softball season opened Thursday night with plenty of question marks surrounding a rebuilding team.

The Rebels didn't find many positive answers as Appling County and highly regarded left-hander Hadley Johnson combined to hand ECHS a 6-0 season-opening loss.

The Rebels fell behind early and couldn't recover against Johnson, who struck out 13 and didn't issue a walk in 6 2/3 innings.

"It's a little disappointing, but we're not going to browbeat the day," Rebels coach Brad Thompson said. "We were a little flat. Their pitcher is really good. You don't see many left-handers, and we didn't adjust to it. We struck out too many times, and you're not going to beat teams like that."

Appling, the Class 3A state champion in 2021, won 20 games last season, including two victories in the Class 2A Elite Eight at the state tournament in Columbus.

Two years ago, the Pirates defeated a veteran ECHS squad, 7-0.

Graduated stars Ansleigh Giordano, Gabie Hill and Gracie LaFleur attended Thursday's opener to support a Rebels team with five first-year starters in the opening-day lineup.

Rebels softball
Effingham County coach Brad Thompson talks with his players during Thursday's season opener against Appling County. ‘We were a little flat,’ Johnson said after the Rebels' 6-0 loss, adding, ‘We have to adjust.’ (Mark Lastinger / Effingham Herald)

Offensive struggles

Sophomore Jocelyn Bettinger provided one of the few offensive bright spots with two of ECHS' four hits. Jenny Parker doubled, and Samantha Hill added a single.

The Rebels mounted just one serious scoring threat. In the sixth inning, Appling changed pitchers, and Cheyenne Hart and Riley Bracken drew one-out walks. But the Pirates brought Johnson back into the game, and she struck out the next two batters to end the inning.

Johnson recorded at least two strikeouts in six of her seven innings.

Early mistakes

Meanwhile, Appling put together a methodical offensive performance. Five Pirates collected two hits each to pace the team's 13-hit attack. Johnson and AK Hartley each finished with two hits and an RBI.

A pregame downpour may have foreshadowed the Rebels' night. An error led to two unearned runs in the first inning, and another error contributed to a run in the sixth.

"I don't believe in a good loss, but we'll take it as things we have to work on," Johnson said. "We have to adjust."