Seven champions were crowned on Monday after rain swept through Columbus over the weekend, forcing the postponement of the GHSA state fast-pitch softball championships. On Saturday, Mount de Sales captured its first-ever state softball championship after a 2-0 victory over Wesleyan in the Class A-Private bracket before rain swept in.
Mountain View, Pope, Locust Grove, Heritage-Catoosa, Ringgold, Banks County and Gordon Lee took home state championships after play resumed at the home fields of the undefeated teams. Ringgold, in Class AAA, was the only visitor to capture a state title after winning two games at Franklin County.
By classification, here’s how everything finished.
Class AAAAAAA: Mountain View, ranked No. 6 in the pre-playoff rankings, won its first-ever state championship after defeating Grayson 3-1 in the title game. Both programs did all their scoring on Saturday before rain fell in the fourth inning. Mountain View's run through the bracket included a victory over North Forsyth 3-2 in the first round. Then, the Bears handed East Coweta 1-0 its first loss of the season in the second round. Mountain View beat Grayson 2-1 in the semifinals of the winner's bracket and then the Rams beat Etowah 4-0 to earn a rematch with Mountain View in the championship game.
Class AAAAAA: Pope, ranked No. 5 entering the playoffs, won its second state championship, and first since 2014, with a 6-0 victory over Lee County in the title game. The Greyhounds enjoyed a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning when the game was postponed and added three more runs when play resumed to seal the victory. Pope defeated Apalachee 3-2, River Ridge 1-0 and Dacula 11-0 to earn the title berth.
Class AAAAA: Locust Grove, ranked No. 1 in the pre-playoff rankings, won its third-straight championship with a 4-0 victory over Harris County in the title game. All scoring was done in Columbus before the game was called as it entered the fifth inning. Locust Grove earned its finals berth with victories over Starr's Mill 2-1, Walnut Grove 8-0 and Jones County 4-0 in the semis of the winner's bracket. Harris County weathered 1-0 loss to Buford in the first round before a run through the loser's bracket.
Class AAAA: Heritage-Catoosa, without a senior on the roster, defended its 2018 championship after beating Marist 6-3. The Generals, ranked No. 1 in the pre-playoff rankings, came back from being down 3-2 in the seventh inning and won on a game-ending triple play. Heritage stayed flawless through the bracket with victories over LaGrange 8-0, Madison County 4-1 and Oconee County 5-2 before its finals berth. The victory brought Heritage its second softball title, Marist was trying for its third title after winning championships in back-to-back in 2008-09.
Class AAA: Ringgold, ranked No. 1 in the pre-playoff rankings, captured its second state championship, and first since 2005, with two victories 7-5, 2-1 over Franklin County in the championship series. The Tigers took the long route to the title after losing 5-2 to Southeast Bulloch in the first round. It then won six-straight games, moving through Lumpkin County 10-1, East Hall 3-2, Calhoun 8-7 and Lovett 6-3 to earn the finals berth.
Class AA: Banks County, ranked No. 1 entering the playoffs, won its first state championship with a 6-1 victory over Bremen. The Leopards took a 2-1 lead on Saturday before tacking on four more runs to capture the title. The flawless run included victories over Bremen 6-0, Lamar County 8-0 and Rockmart 8-0 to earn the championship berth.
Class A-Public: Gordon Lee, ranked No. 1 in the pre-playoff rankings, won its tenth state softball title and fifth in a row after beating Trion 9-1 in the championship game. The Trojans amassed a 4-1 lead in Columbus and then finished things off in Chickamauga to capture the title. Gordon Lee was perfect in its championship run with victories over Trion 8-3, Bowdon 12-0 and Commerce 8-0 to earn the finals berth.
To see the brackets and full schedule/scores, follow the links.
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