228 Sports 228 Sports 228 Sports
  • Home
  • Football
    FootballShow More
    Long Beach Promotes Cody Finley To Head Football Coach
    2 months ago
    Poplarville Hornets
    First-Time State Champion Hornets Thrived Under Pressure Right To The Thrilling End
    5 months ago
    Gautier Gators senior linebacker Fredrick Nicholson
    How The Fishing Linebacker Helped Gautier Reach New Heights In 2024
    3 months ago
    Gautier's historic run came to in end against West Point in the 5A State Championship, losing 28-21.
    Gautier’s Dream Season Ends As West Point Clinches 13th State Title With 28-21 Victory
    5 months ago
    Gautier and Poplarville secured wins and will battle for state championships this weekend at M.M. Roberts Stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.
    Gautier, Poplarville Seek First State Titles. Mississippi Powers Are Their Opponents.
    5 months ago
  • Basketball
    BasketballShow More
    Heartbreak City: Pascagoula Falls In Final Four To Ridgeland For Second Year In A Row
    3 months ago
    Pirates Run Aground In Morton’s 38-32 State Quarterfinal Victory
    3 months ago
    Panthers Defeat Terry 59-37, Look To Pounce Back In Final Four Rematch vs. Ridgeland
    3 months ago
    Pass Christian Extends Unbeaten January Streak, Stays Perfect In Region Play
    3 months ago
    West Harrison Rules Rivalry Night With Double Wins At Long Beach
    4 months ago
  • More Sports
    More SportsShow More
    softball
    Unbeaten Lady Pirates Softball Team Rolls To Third Mercy-Rule Win In A Row
    3 months ago
    Adam Nguyen
    How State Bowling Champion Adam Nguyen Of D’Iberville Rolled His Way To The Top
    3 months ago
    Five Southern Six Teams Set To Make History In First Year Of Girls Flag Football In MHSAA
    3 months ago
    Kenley Archer Hancock Girls Golf
    Hancock Boys And Girls Golf Teams Sweep 6A State Titles
    6 months ago
    MGCCC Golf
    John Mark Mills Leads Bulldogs To 12-Shot Victory In MGCCC Fall Invitational
    7 months ago
  • Baseball
  • Soccer
    SoccerShow More
    Pirates Soccer Season Ends In 4A Second Round; Lady Pirates Make Quarterfinals
    3 months ago
    Girls soccer all-stars
    East Girls, West Boys Score Victories In Coast All-Star Soccer Games
    1 year ago
    St. Patrick girls, state champs
    St. Patrick Girls, Bay High Boys, Long Beach Boys Bring Home More State Soccer Titles
    1 year ago
    St. Patrick Girls Soccer Eyes Championship Repeat after Decisive Victory
    1 year ago
    Nine Southern Six Soccer Teams Set The Pitch Ablaze With Unbeaten Region Records
    1 year ago
  • Gear Shop
  • Contact
Reading: Prep softball: George County sweeps East Central to earn first-ever trip to the Class 5A softball title round
0 $0.00

No products in the cart.

Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
228 Sports 228 Sports
0 $0.00
Font ResizerAa
Follow US
© 228 Sports, LLC 2024. All rights reserved.
228 Sports228 Sports FeatureFeaturedMore SportsTrending

Prep softball: George County sweeps East Central to earn first-ever trip to the Class 5A softball title round

Bruce Thornton
Last updated: May 13, 2023 1:01 pm
Bruce Thornton 12 Min Read
Share
May 11, 2023: George County Irina Sanford (4) slides into home plate to score in the firs inning during the George County versus East Central Class 5A fast pitch softball playoff game at George County in Lucedale, Mississippi. Photo: Bobby McDuffie/©228 Sports
May 11, 2023: George County Irina Sanford (4) fields a hit to left field during the George County versus East Central Class 5A fast pitch softball playoff game at George County in Lucedale, Mississippi. Photo: Bobby McDuffie/©228 Sports

For the first time in school history, the George County Lady Rebls are headed to the Class 5A fast-pitch softball state championship finals.
Head coach Kasey McCann’s crew dethroned defending South State champ East Central in a span of four hours with a pair of wins Friday at two different venues. First, the Lady Rebels finished Thursday nights delayed game quickly in Lucedale late in the afternoon with a 7-6 win in eight innings before the two teams packed up and headed south to Hurley for game two.
George County carried over the momentum from the earlier win by jumping out to a quick 3-0 advantage after two stanzas, ad eventually extended that lead to 6-0 in the top of the fourth and cruised to the historic win.

May 11, 2023: George County Blakely Slay (5) fields a hit to shortstop during the George County versus East Central Class 5A fast pitch softball playoff game at George County in Lucedale, Mississippi. Photo: Bobby McDuffie/©228 Sports
May 11, 2023: George County Ashton Fairley throws back to the infield during the George County versus East Central Class 5A fast pitch softball playoff game at George County in Lucedale, Mississippi. Photo: Bobby McDuffie/©228 Sports
May 11, 2023: East Central Breyona Tanner (5) drew the starting pitcher job for the Hornets during the George County versus East Central Class 5A fast pitch softball playoff game at George County in Lucedale, Mississippi. Photo: Bobby McDuffie/©228 Sports
May 11, 2023: East Central Taylor Long (12) throws a hit to the fence, back to the infield during the George County versus East Central Class 5A fast pitch softball playoff game at George County in Lucedale, Mississippi. Photo: Bobby McDuffie/©228 Sports

George County heads to Hattiesburg on Wednesday at noon to take on the winner of the Neshoba Central-Saltillo matchup. The best of 3 series will take place at the USM softball complex.
The Lady Rebels and Lady Hornets, each members of Region 8-5A, split a pair of regular season games which set up the exciting postseason rematch.
Game one of the series had a little bit of everything as weather caused the game, which began on Thursday night to end on Friday afternoon. It was also the third extra inning contest between the eams in their last five meetings.
East Central struck first following a two-out error by the Lady Rebels, as Bree Phillips doubled driving in Macee Dunn with the game’s first run. George County answered right back in the bottom of the first as Irina Sanford doubled, advanced to third on an error and scored on a wild pitch to tie the game. Ashton Fairley’s RBI single scored Natalie Jones and the Lady Rebels led 2-1 after one.
East Central retook the lead as Bree Philips struck again. This time with a two-out, three-run home run to left which put the Hornets up 4-2. East Central starter Breyona Tanner held the Lady Rebels in check until the bottom of the 5th when Kylie Howell’s two-out double plated a pair of runs to tie the game and Gracie Magee’s single put George County back on top.

May 11, 2023: George County Aryana Dixon (2) at bat during the George County versus East Central Class 5A fast pitch softball playoff game at George County in Lucedale, Mississippi. Photo: Bobby McDuffie/©228 Sports
May 11, 2023: East Central Annalyn Bree Phillips (24) hits a three run homer during the George County versus East Central Class 5A fast pitch softball playoff game at George County in Lucedale, Mississippi. Photo: Bobby McDuffie/©228 Sports
May 11, 2023: East Central Annalyn Bree Phillips (24) walks to the dugout after a big hit that scored three runs during the George County versus East Central Class 5A fast pitch softball playoff game at George County in Lucedale, Mississippi. Photo: Bobby McDuffie/©228 Sports
May 11, 2023: East Central Annalyn Bree Phillips (24) during the George County versus East Central Class 5A fast pitch softball playoff game at George County in Lucedale, Mississippi. Photo: Bobby McDuffie/©228 Sports

The lead remained one until the top of the 7th when Baleigh Tullos’ two-out RBI single tied the game at 5-5. When George County failed to score in the bottom of the inning the game headed to extra innings as the rain began to fall.
Bree Phillips drove in her fifth run of the game in the 8th and East Central took a 7-6 lead. Play was delayed about 30 minutes before Ary Dixon’s one-out RBI single scored Jordyn Bradley to tie the game at 6-6. Dixon reached second base and Sanford was intentionally walked to bring Natalie Jones to the plate. The count reached 2-2 and the rain suspended play until Friday afternoon.
When play resumed Jones doubled down the third base line on the third pitch she saw, and Dixon scored the winning run. Peyton Collins went the distance for the Lady Rebels and improved to 17-2 on the season while Tanner took the complete game loss following to 12-5.
Both teams loaded up on the bus and headed to Hurley for game two. The Lady Rebels kept the momentum going as they pushed across two runs in the top of the first. Gracie Magee drew a bases-loaded walk and Addison Davis had an RBI single off East Central starter Abbie Huff.
Davis drew the start in the circle for the Lady Rebels and the freshman delivered allowing only a pair of unearned runs on five hits while striking out four.

pascagoula tire
May 11, 2023: East Central Baleigh Tullos (1) at bat during the George County versus East Central Class 5A fast pitch softball playoff game at George County in Lucedale, Mississippi. Photo: Bobby McDuffie/©228 Sports
May 11, 2023: East Central Lillian Evans (9) makes a catch and tags the runner, George County Ashton Fairley (10) out at third base during the George County versus East Central Class 5A fast pitch softball playoff game at George County in Lucedale, Mississippi. Photo: Bobby McDuffie/©228 Sports
May 11, 2023: East Central Annalyn Bree Phillips (24) gets a hit during the George County versus East Central Class 5A fast pitch softball playoff game at George County in Lucedale, Mississippi. Photo: Bobby McDuffie/©228 Sports
May 11, 2023: George County Irina Sanford (4) fields a hit to left center and throws back to the infield as Ashton Fairley backs up the play during the George County versus East Central Class 5A fast pitch softball playoff game at George County in Lucedale, Mississippi. Photo: Bobby McDuffie/©228 Sports

George County added to their lead in the second, as back-to-back doubles by Natalie Jones and Ashton Fairley gave the Lady Rebels a 3-0 lead. George County extended the lead in the 4th as Sanford and Jones had back-to-back doubles and Magee had an RBI single sandwiched around a couple of Lady Hornet miscues and the lead was suddenly 6-0. East Central rallied in the bottom of the sixth stanza, when Taylor Long and Kinsey Cochran singled and with two outs and a George County throwing error got the Lady Hornets on the board. Macee Dunn’s RBI single made it 6-2 but Davis got a fly out to centerfield to end the threat. Gracie Magee’s solo home run in the seventh gave the Lady Rebels a 7-2 lead with three outs to go. Kailee Lawson led off the last chance at bat for the Lady Hornets with a single but Davis retired the next trio of ECHS batters to secure the win.
Davis improves to 4-0 on the season while Abbie Huff took the loss falling to 8-3. East Central ends the season at 26-9-1 while the Lady Rebels improve their best record in school history to 28-4.
Heading into their South State Championship series with East Central, the Lady Rebels had already put together a historically successful season as George County had set a school record for wins and now they can now add a South State Championship to their resume.

May 11, 2023: George County Peyton Collins (34) started at pitcher during the George County versus East Central Class 5A fast pitch softball playoff game at George County in Lucedale, Mississippi. Photo: Bobby McDuffie/©228 Sports
May 11, 2023: George County Natalie Jones (3) catches a ball thrown to third base during the George County versus East Central Class 5A fast pitch softball playoff game at George County in Lucedale, Mississippi. Photo: Bobby McDuffie/©228 Sports
May 11, 2023: George County Blakely Slay (5) during the George County versus East Central Class 5A fast pitch softball playoff game at George County in Lucedale, Mississippi. Photo: Bobby McDuffie/©228 Sports
May 11, 2023: George County’s Irina Sanford scores a run during the George County versus East Central Class 5A fast pitch softball playoff game at George County in Lucedale, Mississippi. Photo: Bobby McDuffie/©228 Sports

Stay up to date with 228 Sports

Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox weekly!
By signing up, you agree to acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Share This Article
Facebook Reddit Telegram Email Copy Link Print
What do you think?
Joy0
Cry0
Embarrass0
Surprise0
Sleepy0
Angry0
Dead0
By Bruce Thornton
Current sports Director at WRBE radio in Lucedale. Spent 27 years coaching at the high school level at Biloxi and George County High School. Coach Thornton is also the host of 228 Sports, "Southern Six Sports Podcast."
Previous Article Prep baseball: Gulfport moves into the Class 6A South State championship round with yet another win
Next Article Prep baseball: Class 5A playoffs converge on Jackson County Saturday night; Stone’s season is now over
Leave a Comment Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Tweets by 228Sports
cannon banner

Most Popular

You Might Also Like

228 Sports228 Sports FeatureBaseballFeaturedTrending

Prep baseball: Ocean Springs takes two from D’Iberville in Region 7-6A play; PHS and SMHS wait

2 years ago
228 Sports228 Sports FeatureBaseballFeaturedTrending

Prep Baseball: East Central overwhelms West Jones 10-3 to earn another trip to the Class 5A state finals

2 years ago
Featured

(A Look Ahead) 7 prep games to see this week

2 years ago

Prep hoops: Gulfport sweeps past HC; Moss Point gets big road win

2 years ago
228 Sports 228 Sports
Follow US
228 Sports, LLC © 2024. All rights reserved.
  • Contact
  • Image Copyright
  • Privacy Policy
  • Scores
  • Gear Shop Returns Policy
adbanner
228 sports logo vert 228 Sports logo vert
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?