By Donald Heath
Special for the Effingham Herald
[Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Izzy Wilkins and Rosy Dixon pitched in Game 1.]
GUYTON – Whitney Thompson's sixth-inning, line-drive double drove in South Effingham's eighth run Thursday night. It ended the game against St. Pius X, ended the super-regional and ended the final home appearance for a super senior class.
The Mustangs were hardly challenged, but mobbed the field to celebrate their 8-0 win over St. Pius in a game stopped in the sixth inning because of the Mercy Rule.
SEHS (29-4) will be headed to Columbus, site of the Elite Eight Class 6A Softball Championships, to play two-time defending champion Pope on Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. to begin the double-elimination tournament.
But the Mustangs took time Thursday to reflect on a four-year run filled with accomplishments. This senior class has produced a 106-22-1 record with three region championships and two trips to Columbus.
They advanced to the Elite Eight in 2000 as well, but the Georgia High School Association limited the championship tournament to just four teams because of COVID.
"(The seniors) have set the bar for the program and raised our level of expectation for the future," Mustangs coach Adam Newland said. "Everything they've done for this program has been uplifting. It's been impressive and we couldn't be prouder."
South made it look easy with 20-0 and 8-0 wins over Rockdale County and St. Pius on Day 1 before clinching the next day.
Izzy Wilkins and Rosy Dixon pitched in Game 1.
Pitcher Bailey Kendziorski, who committed to Boston College, was the senior leader, surrendering just four hits in the games. Her 13-strikeout effort against St. Pius on Wednesday was her single-game career high. The next night, she fanned six to top the 600-strikeout career mark.
Seniors Thompson, Emma Darrow, Jaden Burns and Sarah Messex led the offensive attack in the super regional. Darrow was 7-for-10 with four RBIs. Thompson had six hits and five RBIs as the other half of the team's one-two punch at the top of the lineup.
"We've accomplished a lot in our four years and it's been exciting," Thompson said. "Any young girl who accomplished this would be very excited. It's hard to put in words. No one can express that much joy and excitement."
Only a few weeks earlier, the Mustangs' season seemed to be headed in the wrong direction. South lost by the Mercy Rule to Grovetown in the first game of a doubleheader before managing a split with a late rally. SEHS lost its first game with Effingham County.
But in the final 10 days of the season, the Mustangs beat ECHS twice and Grovetown once to claim a region title.
"I think mentally we had to prepare ourselves to keep working hard and keep striving for the best," said Burns, a catcher who is committed to Wingate University. "All together we worked really hard and I love the group of girls I'm with. Hard work pays off in the end."
"We talk about it a lot – sports mirrors life," Newland said. "There are great triumphs. There are setbacks. It's important to stay on an even keel no matter what's going on. We try to instill that, never get too high or too down. Keep going forward.
"My take on (playing Pope) is we have to beat everyone down there anyway. They'll be a tough team. We'll do our best to get ready for them. As a competitor, you should be excited about those challenges and in my estimation, we'll be ready."
