Soperton 8U Girls Finish As State Runner-up
The Soperton Recreation Department 8U Girls softball team wrapped up an impressive summer run, finishing as the State Runner-up at the GRPA State Tournament held June 23-25 in Appling County. The District Champions battled through a grueling bracket to reach the final day.
SRD vs. Long
The tournament opened with a lopsided victory over Long County. Soperton set the tone early with a fourrun first inning and added three more in the second. Long County pushed a run across in the top of the third, but Soperton responded with a massive seven-run frame. A lone fourth-inning run from Long wasn't enough to extend the contest, sealing a 14-2 runrule win for Soperton.
SRD Berrien
Round two brought a matchup against Berrien County. Berrien struck first with a single run in the opening frame, but Soperton answered loudly. A six-run bottom of the first erased the deficit, followed by six more runs in the second and another six in the third. Rhylee Pierce anchored the offense with a massive six-RBI performance, driving an 18-1 blowout win.
SRD vs. Appling
The winners' bracket semifinal presented a much tougher test against host Appling County. A high-scoring first inning saw Appling jump out to a 5-0 advantage before Soperton fired back to cut the deficit to 5-4. Appling then broke the game open with eight runs in the second and four in the third. Soperton scraped together two runs in the bottom of the third, but a 19-6 Appling victory sent them to the losers' bracket.
SRD vs. Berrien
Facing elimination, Soperton squared off with Berrien County for a second time. Soperton grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Berrien chipped away, scoring in the first and second innings to make it a 3-2 ballgame. A four-run third gave Soperton some breathing room, though Berrien rallied with two runs in both the third and fourth to tighten the score to 7-6. The Soperton bats woke up late, hanging five runs in the fifth and three in the sixth to pull away for a 15-6 win.
SRD vs. Appling Championship Game 1 That victory set up a Championship showdown against Appling County. Needing two wins to claim the title, Soperton delivered in game one. A two-run first inning put them ahead early, but Appling rallied for six runs in the second. Soperton trimmed the lead to 6-5 in the third before Appling tacked on another run. After a scoreless fourth, Soperton erupted for five runs in the fifth to take a 10-7 advantage. Appling countered with two in the bottom half, but an insurance run in the sixth secured an 11-9 Soperton victory.
Game 2
The dramatic win forced a decisive second game for the State Championship. Appling County proved too much in the finale, hanging six runs in the opening frame. Soperton managed one run in the bottom of the first, but Appling steadily pulled away with a fourrun second and two more in the third. Soperton plated three runs in the bottom of the third to keep fighting. A four-run fourth by Appling shut the door on the comeback, ending the game at 16-4.
Despite the final loss, it was a stellar campaign for the Soperton 8U All-Stars. Taking home the District title and finishing as the GRPA State Runner- up marks a season the community can be proud of.
SRD 8U Girls State Runner-up – (L to R, Front): Jolene Tanner, Sophie Moore, Payson Korn, Malayna Bullard, Chrislee NeeSmith, Myra Sumner; (Middle): Zalei Stokes, Raven Foskey, Rhylee Pierce, Charli Thigpen, Hadlee Lanford; (Back): Coaches Tyler Korn, Brent Korn, Jeremy Lanford, and Rodney Byrd.
