Lady Jackets down top-ranked Vidalia

With two Region 2-AA victories last week and a win over No. 1 ranked Vidalia, the Jeff Davis High School softball team solidified its second place position in the region standings and improved their MaxPreps Class AA ranking to No. 2, just behind Vidalia.
The Lady Jackets last Tuesday rolled to a 9-0, 5-inning win over East Laurens in Hazlehurst and then traveled to Vidalia Thursday to take a 3-2 victory after losing twice to the Lady Indians earlier.
Jeff Davis scored in each of the first four innings against East Laurens to win handily.
Kelsey Parlor and Kesleigh Poe combined for a one-hit shutout on the mound with Parlor going four innings and earning the win.
The first two Lady Falcon batters reached base on a walk and an error but that was the biggest threat of the game. Parlor retired the next three in order, gave up a single in the second, another player reached on an error in the third, and Parlor hit a batter in the fourth. In the final inning, Kesleigh Poe hit a batter and yielded a walk but she retired the other three to preserve the shutout.
In a 4-run first inning, JD’s Jaci Underwood drove in the first run with a double, Kalleigh Sellers followed with a 2-run homer, Annalese Poole singled, went to third on an Ella Wood double and scored on Malleigh Burns’ ground out.
In the second, Carter reached first on a bunt hit, stole second, went to third on a fly out and scored after tagging up on a foul pop out.
Jeff Davis added three runs in the third to make it 8-0. Wood tripled and scored on a Burns double. After Bianca Torres singled, Burns scored from third on a Peyton Thigpen ground out and Torres scored on an error.
The final run came in the fourth as Riley Mathis was hit by a pitch, stole second, went to third on Underwood’s ground out and scored as Sellers ground out to shortstop.
Wood had a double and a triple, Poole singled twice, Sellers had a homer and three RBI, Burns and Underwood both doubled and drove in two runs, and Torres and Carter both singled.
Parlor went four innings, giving up one hit, hitting one, walking one and striking out six. Poe pitched one hitless inning, hitting one, walking one and striking out none.
Poe went the distance on the mound in the 3-2 win over Vidalia Thursday, surviving a final inning Vidalia rally.
The bottom of the seventh was scary as, with the Lady Jackets leading 3-0, Poe retired the first two Vidalia batters on ground outs. But the next batter walked and Poe hit the next batter to put two on. A single loaded the bases and the lead runner scored on an error to make it 3-1. Another single loaded the bases again with the tying run at second. The next batter grounded to Poe who threw to Jenna Miles at second but the runner was safe, and the runner at third scored to make it 3-2, then the Vidalia runner who advanced to third on the fielder’s choice tried to score but Miles threw to catcher Sellers at the plate to nail the runner for the third out.
JD got all its runs in the third, Metts led off with a bunt single, Carter sacrificed her to second and Miles followed with a single to score Metts and Miles went to second on the throw. An Underwood ground out pushed Miles to third with two outs. Sellers then got her second 2-run homer in a many games to make it 3-0.
Sellers was not only the batting leader for the game, she also had a big defensive play in the top of the first inning as a 2-out double put a Vidalia player on second. With a 1-2 count on the next batter, Sellers, playing catcher, caught the runner at second too far off the back and she threw to Miles to pick her off to end the inning.
Sellers’ 2-run homer led the offense. Miles singled in a run, Wood double,d and Carter and Metts both singled.
Poe gave up two runs on six hits, walked three, hit one and struck out two.
Score by innings:
ELHS    0    0    0    0    0    -0
JDHS    4    1    3    1    x    -9

JDHS    0    0    3    0    0    0    0    -3
VHS    0    0    0    0    0    0    2    -2