GUYTON, Ga. — Freshman Kendall Ward isn’t just along for the ride. She’s become one of the many drivers behind South Effingham’s softball journey.

After watching back-to-back home runs by Alyssa Martin and Destiny Hutchens break a fifth-inning deadlock, Ward got her turn two batters later.

“It was a close game and we had already hit two of them. I thought, ‘Let’s make it three,’” she said.

Ward’s homer punctuated the Mustangs’ offensive fireworks in a five-run fifth inning of Game 2, helping South sweep visiting Coffee 5-2 and 7-5 in a doubleheader Wednesday night. The victories gave the Mustangs a 2-0 win in the Class 6A second-round best-of-three state playoff series.

The top-ranked Mustangs (28-2) extended their school-record winning streak to 23 games and advanced to Columbus, the annual site of the eight-team, double-elimination state tournament, for the fifth consecutive year.

South will open against Houston County next Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

Ward makes an impact in every role

Ward did everything but gas up the bus for the Columbus trip. She earned a save by recording the final five outs in Game 1 and was the winning pitcher in Game 2 with a complete-game effort.

At the plate, batting fifth in both games, she collected four hits in seven at-bats and drove in five runs.

Over her last eight games, Ward is hitting .500 (11-for-22) with four home runs and 13 RBIs. She also pitched a five-inning shutout against Greenbrier in the first round of the state playoffs.

“She’s been on a good run for us at the tail end of the season,” South Effingham coach Adam Newland said. “She’s pitching well and now that she’s getting some consistent time at the plate, you can see what she can do with the bat.”

Finding offense hasn’t been much of a problem for Newland this season. Led by college commits Danni Lynn (Maryland), Martin and Justine Nevels (both UNC Wilmington), the Mustangs are averaging more than 10 runs per game.

Coming into the second-round series against the Trojans, South had outscored its opponents 108-1 over its previous nine games.

Coffee puts up a fight

The drive to Columbus had been going smoothly, but Coffee (18-15) provided a potential wake-up call. The Trojans led in both games, but South’s solid defense and timely hitting swung the momentum.

The Mustangs handled 24 ground-ball chances and turned two double plays without committing an error.

In Game 1, South trailed 2-0 in the third inning before consecutive two-out singles by Nevels, Ward and Sydney Minshall sparked a four-run rally.

Lynn’s RBI single in the sixth made it 5-2.

Coffee outhit South 10-7, but starting pitcher Cheniyah Jackson and Ward combined to hold the Trojans to one hit in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Mustangs respond when challenged

Coffee manufactured the first run of Game 2, with a Trojan baserunner beating Ward’s throw to third on a sacrifice bunt.

“I know my team has my back so even if there’s a (bad) moment, I know my team can bounce back from it,” Ward said. “It’s stressful, but I’ve been with these girls since the summer. We have a bond and I trust them.”

Ward drove in the tying run in the fourth inning with a single that scored Nevels, who had tripled.

Then South added six more runs to give Ward plenty of breathing room. Coffee’s Ella Edge hit a grand slam in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the sweep.

“We haven’t even played seven innings in a while so to do that twice tonight was a good tuneup,” Newland said. “It was a good thing and a healthy thing and the competitiveness of the series is something we can build on in practice for the competition we’re going to see down there in Columbus.”