GUYTON, Ga. – South Effingham entered the week with 20 straight softball victories in subregion play over the past two years.
Only two of those games had been decided by fewer than six runs.But the Mustangs stumbled Monday, dropping the series opener to Glynn Academy.
SEHS coach Adam Newland expected his team to rebound Tuesday.
“Honestly, we were still confident,” Newland said. “We knew we had everything to be a successful team and win these types of games.”
Behind strong pitching from Rosie Dixon and timely two-out hitting, the Mustangs broke open a tie in the sixth inning to defeat the visiting Red Terrors 5-1 and even the three-game set at one win apiece.
The decisive game will be played Thursday at Glynn Academy with the subregion title on the line.
Terrors proving tough
The Terrors (19-4, 10-1 Region 1-5A South) have been a surprise contender while challenging for subregion supremacy. They entered Tuesday on a 12-game winning streak and were ranked No. 8 in Class 5A by ScoreAtlanta.
Glynn split two games with second-ranked Effingham County earlier in the season. Monday’s 5-0 win over South wasn’t a fluke.
The Mustangs (13-2, 10-1) spotted the Terrors a run in the top of the first inning before tying it in the bottom half on Sydney Minshall’s triple and Danni Lynn’s sacrifice fly.
Nevels, Dixon spark rally
It stayed 1-1 until the sixth. With two outs and two on, Justine Nevels lined a shot off the left-field fence for a run-scoring double.
Nevels had flied out in the first inning, then lined a ball that Glynn third baseman Jada Boatright snagged for a double play in the fourth.
“Justine did a great job making adjustments throughout the game and finally got where she wanted to be in her last at bat,” Newland said. “It was great to see her work through that during the course of the game.”
Cheniyah Jackson’s fly ball to right was dropped, allowing two more runs to score. Abby Jordan followed with a double to drive in the fifth run.
Dixon kept South in control. She didn’t allow a Terror past second base after the first inning.
The junior right-hander struck out one, walked one and gave up just three hits – one on a bad-hop single – and no earned runs.
“She was absolutely outstanding, and it was definitely a big start when we needed one,” Newland said.
The Mustangs, too, delivered when it mattered most – in a game that lasted just 1 hour, 14 minutes.
“I would think if we were a team that worried about a single loss, we shouldn’t be playing for things like this,” Newland said.
