MORGAN COUNTY
Morgan County picked up its first two wins of the season last week against a pair of non-region opponents.
The Lady ‘Dogs opened up the year with losses to Social Circle and Franklin County but bounced back to defeat Monroe Area and Greenbrier to even up their record at .500 entering the week.
Morgan County first-year head coach Chad Pigg felt a huge “relief” after his team got these two wins.
“Our out-of-region schedule is tough and that’s by design. So with that being said, getting that first [win] was a big relief, especially after losing the first two,” Pigg explained. “Everybody settled in after that. It really opened up everything and we started playing our game. It was good to see.”
The Lady Dogs traveled to Walton County to take on Monroe Area on Aug. 15, leaving with a 7-3 win. They used their small-ball skills to defeat the Lady ‘Canes and secure their first victory of 2023.
Sophomore Ryleigh Hilsman went 3-for-4 at the plate with a team-high two RBI. Anna Kate Hill and Jayleigh Harper also added RBIs, with both being sacrifice bunts to help Morgan extend its lead.
Hilsman also shined in the circle, pitching a complete game and getting her first win of the year. Monroe Area made her work for it, though, as she struck out one, but only gave up three runs on five hits.
“We got up there and had to sit on the bus for an hour, not knowing if we were going to play due to the weather,” Pigg said. “So to lock in after that and get the win was a great start to the week for us” Morgan followed that up with a pivotal 6-2 victory over Greenbrier, a historic program in Class 5A. Hill, Hilsman, Mallory Martin and Payton Davis all had multi-hit games for the Lady ‘Dogs that night.
Morgan County never trailed in the game as it got out front in the top of the first inning. Hilsman doubled to score Emmy Moss, followed by a single by Davis to bring around Hill a few batters later.
After starting pitcher Sadie Bartlett gave up a run in the bottom half of the frame, the Lady Dogs answered in the second. Mallory Martin’s one-out RBI single gave them a 3-1 lead over the Lady Wolfpack.
Greenbrier got back a run in the bottom of the third, making it a 3-2 game with Morgan still in the driver’s seat. However, the Lady Dogs tacked on three more runs across the last two innings of the game.
Bartlett pitched two full innings, giving up one hit on two runs with two strikeouts and zero walks. She was replaced by Hilsman, who only gave up one run on four hits with three strikeouts in five innings.
“Greenbrier is always a contender. They’re a big program and always produce really, really good teams. This one was no exception for us,” Pigg said. “That was a big win for us. We pitched it well. [Ryleigh] fought her tail off in the circle to execute every pitch. Our girls played solid defense behind her, but we really bought into the team softball aspect. We did the small stuff right but we also got some timely hits, so it was great to see us finally putting it together full circle.”
Morgan opened up region play Tuesday with a sweep of the Academy of Richmond County. The Lady Dogs are 4-2 with home games against Apalachee on Thursday and Monroe Area next Monday.