GREYHOUND SOFTBALL
Region play kicked off to a degree for the Lady Greyhounds earlier this week against Dutchtown. It all came on the heels of five games last week, all but one in tournament formats, that will provide strong tests for Jones County before a late-season stretch that will prove key to postseason positioning.
JCHS plays at Ola next Monday and hosts Union Grove sandwiched around an Oct. 3 road game at Warner Robins. Those matchups will likely decide if Jones County will have homefield to start the region playoffs. That’s exactly why Lady Greyhounds head coach Tripp Burt has no qualms about the recent span of games for the Lady Greyhounds.
“We’ve faced a gauntlet of a schedule. Now, we’re trying to finish strong and get ready for that postseason feel. When you have one game, you have to get back up and ready for the next one,” Burt said. “When you face teams in pressure situations, it helps you get ready for October.”
After last Tuesday’s 12-11 loss to Pike County, a pair of games on Friday and Saturday saw Jones County play Grayson and Irwin County on Friday and Archer and South Forsyth on Saturday. Jones County lost 9-4 to Grayson and bounced back to beat Irwin County 12-5 on Friday prior to dropping decisions of 12-7 and 4-1 to Archer and South Forsyth on Saturday.
The Lady Hounds showed plenty of grit against Pike County, rallying from an early 3-0 hole to draw even with an inside-the-park homer from Kimber Kent and a three-run shot from Tranasia Parker. Even when the Pirates moved ahead late, JCHS had a chance to win, getting the tying run to third in the bottom of the seventh.
“The girls kept fighting back,” Burt said. “We put ourselves in a position to get back in it.”
Now, after a break from a region schedule, Jones County is in position for a postseason run. The Lady Hounds will be going for a fourth trip in five seasons to the Elite 8 in Columbus.
“The first week of October will be big for us,” Burt said. “If we take care of what we need to, we’ll be able to accomplish our goals.”
