COLUMBUS, Ga. — A missed call by the umpires at the start of the eight-team, double-elimination Class 6A state softball tournament in Columbus put South Effingham in a bind.

A missed opportunity Saturday in the championship round probably felt worse.

The Mustangs were a strike away from making an if-necessary game against defending champion Creekview.

If only …

South couldn't get that strike. The Grizzlies rallied for two runs with two outs in the seventh inning to tie the game, then scored again in the eighth to rally for a 5-4 victory.

“I think these are some of the best competitors I've ever been around,” Mustangs coach Adam Newland said. “They never backed down from any challenge. To get all the way back to Championship Saturday was special, for sure.”

The long road back

South took the long route, though not by choice.

In Wednesday's opening game, video showed third baseman Alyssa Martin touching the bag for a key second out during the Bears' seventh-inning rally. The umpires ruled the runner safe, and two runs eventually scored in a 2-1 walk-off loss.

Discouraged but not defeated, the Mustangs fought through the losers' bracket. They topped Loganville 12-5, beat Lee County 3-0 in a matchup of the tournament's top two seeds, then run-ruled Houston County 10-2 in six innings in an elimination rematch.

About 14 hours later, South returned to the field at 10 a.m. Saturday and looked like the fresher team, knocking off Lassiter 11-7.

Freshman Kendall Ward, who pitched in every game, gave the Mustangs five gritty innings against the Trojans after throwing 5 2/3 innings in relief the night before.

“Kendall was definitely the workhorse this week,” Newland said. “She gave us everything she had.”

Three-run home runs by Justine Nevels and Makenzie Polk fueled the Saturday morning offensive barrage. Polk, the No. 8 hitter in the lineup, drove in five runs.

The victory gave South another chance against Creekview.

A year ago, the Grizzlies beat South 6-2 in a winner's bracket game and run-ruled the Mustangs 11-3 on Championship Saturday.

It was Creekview's second straight Class 5A title. Both teams moved up to Class 6A this season and found themselves at the same destination.

This time, South had Creekview playing catch-up.

“Those guys are a three-time state champion for a reason,” Newland said. “We expected them to fight. We had a lead, but we couldn't hold it.”

One strike away

In time, South's run will be remembered for its proud moments of perseverance.

With pitching options running thin, Kelsee Collins made only her seventh start of the season and carried the lead into the seventh inning.

Taylor Swann had a two-run single in the fourth inning to break a scoreless duel, and Martin smacked her third home run of the tournament in the fifth to make it 3-1.

It stayed that way until the seventh inning — actually, until there were two outs and two strikes on Creekview's Finley Howard.

Howard singled, and Nicole Gooden followed with a two-run triple to tie the game.

In the eighth inning, Nevels homered to put South back in front.

But two walks and run-scoring hits by Kaitlyn Bleisath and Lily DiGregorio in the bottom of the inning gave Creekview the walk-off victory.

Memories that last

The loss ended the high school careers of 11 Mustang seniors, including Division I commits Danni Lynn (Maryland) and Martin and Nevels (both UNC Wilmington).

Their high school careers ended, but not their memories.

“We're going to miss those guys a ton,” Newland said.