By Donald Heath
Special for the Effingham Herald
A heartbreaking softball loss in the regular-season finale didn't bode well for Effingham County in the postseason.
The Rebels fell to a No. 2 seeding from Region 2 and aligned with Class 6A's third-ranked Houston County in the super regional at Warner Robins.
But ECHS didn't back down. The Rebels blasted Lovejoy 15-0 in the opening game on Oct. 18 before stunning the highly regarded Bears 3-2 later in the evening.
On Oct. 19, ECHS completed the sweep with a 7-2 victory over Houston County.
It was the second straight season, the Rebels (25-5) went on the road to win their four-team pod and advance to Columbus, the site of the Elite Eight Class 6A Softball Championships. Last year, they beat Alcovy twice.
ECHS will open with Lassiter on Wednesday (Oct. 25) at 5 p.m. Lassiter (29-2) was ranked second in Class 6A, according to Score-Atlanta.
The Rebels entered the state playoffs after falling to South Effingham 5-4 in the regular-season finale.
But ECHS showed a lot of fight against the Mustangs, battling back from 1-0 and 3-2 deficits before South took the lead for good in the sixth inning.
Houston County entered the super regional with a 26-3 record and a 10-game winning streak. The Bears were averaging more than nine runs a game.
But Rebels sophomore pitcher Ansleigh Giordano tamed the Bears. In the two games combined, she struck out 18 and allowed just three earned runs while pitching two complete games, according to social media.
A two-run double by sophomore Gracie LaFleur and an RBI single by Abbi Jones fueled a three-run fourth inning and provided just enough cushion. Giordano stranded Houston County's potential tying run at third base in the seventh inning in the teams' first meeting on Wednesday.
ECHS grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the first inning on Thursday to set the tone for the second meeting.
Another two-run double by LaFleur in the fifth opened up a 4-1 lead. Jones finished with three RBIs.
Giordano allowed only three hits and two runs while striking out nine and walking one in her second outing against the Bears.
Thompson said sophomore Gabbi Hill made two sparkling defensive plays in center field.
Some might have thought it would be a rebuilding year for ECHS after graduating six seniors, including region player of the year Rylee Mills, who signed to play at the College of Coastal Georgia. Last year's squad went 27-7 and won a game – against Houston County – in Columbus.
The Rebels' starting nine now includes four juniors and three sophomores.
"That was something we looked at last year, how could (the seniors) be replaced?" said Thompson, who sprinkled in playing time for his underclassmen.
Now they're back in Columbus with a strong test on Day 1 of the double-elimination tournament – a game with Lassiter, the second-ranked team in Class 6A, according to Score Atlanta.
"At some point in the tournament you have to beat (the top teams to win a state championship)," Thompson said. "The girls have been battle-tested. I know they'll be excited."