Hendrix Park’s 14U softball team battled back through the loser’s bracket to finish third in the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association state Class C softball tournament, which was held July 12-13 in Estman.

Hendrix Park earned wins against Hawkinsville and Berrien County, but lost twice to old rival and defending state champion Dodge County.

While the first pairing of the two teams ended in a dismal 8-3 loss, it was a nailbiting 3-2 loss in the second game that determined the Hendrix Park team’s fate.

Dodge County eventually saw the same fate as they fell to Morgan County, ending a run of four consecutive state GRPA titles for Dodge.

Three years ago, Hendrix Park secured a second place state finish against this same Dodge County team, losing in the final championship game of that tournament.

Hendrix Park’s leading batters in the tournament were Erica Griffin, who hit .500, Layton Harrell, who hit .429 and Taylor Roop, who hit .308. Erica Griffin led with an .846 on base percentage followed by Alyssa Edwards with a .615. Griffin shared pitching duty with Shelby Barfield.