Depth, underclassmen shine for Houston County softball as they earn third consecutive trip to Columbus

WARNER ROBINS — Head coach April Collins and the Houston County Bears have become regulars at Columbus’ South Commons Complex in recent years.

For those who might not know, that’s the home of the GHSA’s softball quarterfinals through the championship game(s). HoCo is getting ready to make their third consecutive trip after Wednesday’s doubleheader sweep of Jackson County, 9-4 and 9-0.

The Lady Bears have played their best ball at home; where the chants and cheers lead to raw throats and hoarse voices, and the bats seem to be most consistent. Capturing that kind of energy on the road is important for Collins and Co.

“When we go into Columbus next week, Jason Brett, our athletic director, he said, ‘HoCo West.’ Like, we’re just going out there and this is another home game. We go there so often it feels like, let’s make this look like a home game,” Collins said.

Many members of this team have been to the quarterfinals before. Even though not all of them played important roles every year, Collins thinks the experience will be an asset.

“Last year, going and being a part of it really helped them. I think it’s going to help us go into this year,” she said. “They’ve had the exposure, it’s not time to be scared, we’ve been there before. Obviously, having a healthy staff is important, so I’m glad to be able to have all our pieces together … and I’m really proud that the seniors get to finish their season out in Columbus at the Elite Eight and compete for that state championship.”

Some of HoCo’s underclassmen really shined as they took care of the visiting Lady Panthers.

Sophomore Piper Lambert might’ve been the best of the bunch with her performance in the circle through both games.

She finished with 22 total strikeouts, seven hits, four runs, two earned runs and two walks through 13 innings.

The only inning she didn’t pitch was the first of Game 2, before Allie Hutto took a scary hit to the head and had to sit the rest of the game. Hutto was in the dugout talking and cheering soon after, with ice held to her head.

Collins thinks Lambert’s demeanor is one of her greatest strengths. In the circle she is always  cool and calculated. When she does hit a temporary bump, whether it be a 3-0 count or misplaced pitch, the coaching staff tells her this — be a “dawg.”

“I think her confidence is what helps her do so well on the mound,” Collins said of Lambert. “[21] strikeouts, I think [Jackson County] only had seven hits. She had a successful night and obviously she was a dawg for sure.”

Freshman Kali Bradley was another spectacular performer.

She was a combined 5-for-7 at the plate in the doubleheader for four runs and four stolen bases. She missed a home run in Game 1 by inches, but it was her base running ability that made her so dangerous.

She was consistently in scoring position and gave the rest of the lineup someone to bring home. For a freshman, if you can call her that 33 games into the season, she has brought a lot of juice to the leadoff spot.

“She’s not a freshman anymore,” Collins said. “I think there was a couple of times in the beginning of the year we were like, ‘For you to be in this spot and not act like a freshman, that’s huge.’ There’s times where she might be timid or complacent, but she locks in. She’s a great competitor. … I can’t wait to see how she’s gonna be as a senior.”

At the opposite end of the order, Alanah McKenzie turned a quiet night into a moment she might remember forever.

Before she stepped up in the top of the seventh of Game 2 for what turned out to be her final at-bat of the series, she was 0-for-3 and struck out twice.

She fouled off the first pitch and swung and missed the second. She stepped away from the batters box, took in some advice from the coaches, and returned to the plate to deliver a three-run home run over center field.

“Teams won’t expect that, to see you drop a home run when maybe you’ve bunted in a couple of at-bats and struggled a little bit,” Collins said of McKenzie. “To be able to handle business like that in the nine-hole is huge. … Her getting on allows our top of our order to get her in scoring position, she’s really good at base running as well. Obviously, to finish off her career … here at home with a home run, that was really sweet.”

McKenzie was part of a much larger effort that has gotten HoCo to where they are. Consistency and depth are two descriptors that fit.

“In the summertime we said, ‘We have depth, know that,’” Collins said. “I think about Kamille [Evans], she came off the bench today after Allie got hurt, and I think she might have went 3-for-3. … It’s good that you can have [the one-hole] hit like that or [the nine-hole] hit like that, whoever.”

In Game 2, 10 different Lady Bears finished with a hit. As a team they were 17-for-34 (.500) and only tallied three strikeouts. They were 9-for-29 (.310) in Game 1, and had players in the top, middle and bottom of the lineup finish with a hit.

UP NEXT

HoCo will face South Effingham in the quarterfinals on Oct. 28 at 3:30 p.m. in Columbus.