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Effingham Rebels Fall 13-12 in Wild Class 5A State Finale
Rebels’ Season Ends in Dramatic Fashion, Seniors Leave Lasting Legacy
Effingham County Softball
Effingham County’s Ansleigh Giordano delivers a pitch during Thursday’s loss to Creekview as the Rebels’ senior class—Gracie LaFleur, Gabie Hill, Shelby Zeigler and Giordano—wraps up a remarkable four-year run with 104 wins and four trips to the Elite Eight. Their leadership and talent will be remembered long after the season ends. (Darrell Roaden / Effingham Herald)

COLUMBUS, Ga. – Effingham County High School’s softball season ended in a mix of heartbreak and chaos Friday morning with a 13-12 loss to Loganville in the Class 5A State Fast-Pitch Softball Championships.

 The Rebels’ senior class of Ansleigh Giordano, Gracie LaFleur, Gabie Hill and Shelby Zeigler finishes a four-year run with 104 wins and four trips to the Elite Eight in Columbus. But the players, coaches and fans may never forget the dramatic loss Friday.

ECHS (27-9) led by four runs entering the seventh inning. A three-run home run by Kendal Mayo and a misplayed, run-scoring triple tied the game. The Rebels intentionally walked the next two batters to load the bases, and pitcher Giordano got the following two outs.

With Pressley Scott at bat, the count went to 3-0. The next pitch appeared inside, and Scott ran to first, seemingly earning a walk-off, run-scoring walk. At third base, Loganville’s Anslee Hammock also celebrated as she headed for home.

But the home plate umpire made a delayed strike call. Hammock was caught in a rundown between third and home. She slid into the plate, and the umpire called her out. Amid the dust, Hammock kicked the ball out of Giordano’s glove, ending the game in a moment only a Red Devil could appreciate.

Rebels Rally but Come Up Short
ECHS, ranked No. 3 in Class 5A in ScoreAtlanta’s pre-playoff rankings, had entered the losers’ bracket after a 7-0 loss to Creekview on opening day Thursday, putting them back on the field at 9 a.m. in 42-degree temperatures.

The Rebels started hot. Four of the first five batters singled. Mady Reagan and Shelby Zeigler drove in runs, and with two outs, Kamryn Hall added a two-run single to make it 4-0. Hall, a junior, finished with three hits, a home run and five RBIs to lead the 14-hit attack.

Loganville, which averages nearly 10 runs per game, responded with a run in the first and seven in the second. Ava Wiley pitched four scoreless relief innings until the seventh.

ECHS chipped away at the Red Devils’ lead. Hall’s two-run homer in the third made it 8-6. In the fourth, Jenny Parker’s two-run single tied the game. Wiley followed with an RBI double to put the Rebels ahead 9-8, and Hall’s run-scoring single made it 10-8. After four innings, every ECHS batter had at least one hit.