West Laurens had previously chased glory in the GHSA slow-pitch softball tournament and even achieved it once, in 2000, when it won the Class 4A/3A championship. But it’s been a long 23 years since the team’s first slow-pitch title.
The Lady Raiders won the Class 4A fast-pitch softball championship last season to mark the team’s first-ever title on that side of the sport and at Twin Creeks in Woodstock Thursday, West Laurens slowed things down again.
After a flawless run through the bracket, the Lady Raiders defeated defending-champion Haralson County 9-8 to close out the championship series in one game and claim the program’s second slow-pitch state championship.
West Laurens began its assault on the bracket beating Sequoyah 4-1, Dodge County 2-0 and Haralson County 14-8 to earn a berth in the title series. Haralson County, which won titles in 2017, 2018 and last season, beat Oconee County 9-4 and Franklin County 9-8 before losing to West Laurens.
Once in the loser’s bracket, Haralson moved past Sequoyah 17-8 to earn a rematch with West Laurens and could have forced a crucial ‘if’ game but fell short.
