The Valwood softball team earned its second straight Region 3-3A championship Tuesday in a 9-0 victory against Southland Academy in Americus.
One day after celebrating a victorious senior night against Brooks County, Valwood took the road for a business trip against its region rival.
The Valiants took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the third, and they scored four more in the top of the fourth as they stormed out to a commanding lead. After tacking on another run in the fifth, Graciegh Booth smacked a two-run walk-off home run to beat the Raiders in five innings.
It’s been an exciting couple of days for Valwood, beginning with a 6-1 win against Brooks County on senior night Monday.
Before the game, seniors Ansley Haskard, Emily Taylor, and Kasey McQuitty were each honored, and after first pitch, the Valiants started out strong as Bri Fosdick led off the game with a walk followed by a bunt single by Haskard.
With speed on the bases, Booth’s line drive to center scored Fosdick and advanced Haskard to third, though the Valiants would ultimately strand three runners on the base.
After a quick three outs, Darcee Brown doubled on a hard ground ball up the left-field line and scored when McQuitty reached first on an error by the shortstop.
Valwood scored their third run in the third inning starting with a single up the middle by Taylor followed by a line drive to right field by Mary Clare Martin. Natalie Rojas came in clutch with a sacrifice fly to left field to score Taylor.
The Valiants stayed hot in the fourth with a line-drive double by Lindsey Browning, followed by a single by Fosdick. Haskard came up with the team’s third consecutive hit to plate both Browning and Fosdick. Taylor singled to put runners to the corners before Martin’s second hit of the day, drove in Haskard and staked the team to a 6-0 advantage.
The Trojans plated their only run of the contest in the top of the 6th on a line drive shot over the fence in left field as Valiant starter Ansley Bennett held the lineup to four hits and one walk while striking out four.