There are two ways of which a team can enter the postseason — with a strong wind of momentum or with a listless stumble.
The Lady Greyhounds chose the former of the two last week, winning two out of three games in the final week of the regular season. After dropping a 13-4 decision to Houston County on Monday, Jones County bounced back with big wins of 9-1 against ACE and 8-0 against Bleckley County. The win against the Royals came as JCHS scored five times in the fourth inning and three in the fifth while also holding the Royals to one hit.
That loss avenged a 6-3 loss to Bleckley County early in the season.
“Our girls did a really good job of responding,” Lady Greyhounds head coach Tripp Burt said. “We talked about having a short memory, that if something bad happens, spring back and answer the next day and put it behind you.”
But the win did more than that for the Lady Hounds. It also bolstered their position in the final PSR rankings that set the field for the state tournament, which began Wednesday of this week.
“We set it up so we would have some good competition,” Burt said. “If we take care of business, it helps us in the PSR.”
Both Bleckely and ACE are in the GHSA Class AA postseason, and the pair of wins by Jones County helped it end up seeded 12th overall, second among teams from its region. Perry, which finished second in the region, was the region’s highest-ranked PSR team in 11th. Ola, which won the region, is seeded 16th.
The Lady Hounds hosted Madison County, seeded 12th in this week’s opening round with the winner of that series facing Central Carrollton, seeded fifth overall, or 28th-seeded Mays for a trip to advance to the Elite 8 in Columbus.
