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Wildcats softball bows out
RHsoftballHouston
Richmond Hill's Madelyn Gorsuch, No. 7, leaps to chest-bump Haley Taylor as she is greeted at home plate after hitting a two-run home run against Houston County Friday night. - photo by Ted O'Neil

The Richmond Hill softball team came up one slug short in a slug-fest against Houston County Friday night, falling 9-8 in game two of their best-of-three series.

The Bears had taken the first game 9-0 and eliminate the Wildcats from the AAAAAA state tournament.

“Our girls don’t have anything to be ashamed of,” Richmond Hill Coach Angie Hummeldorf said afterward. “They earned their runs in the second game. We made some errors in the first game and never could catch up.”

The Wildcats finish the season at 15-11 overall.

“Our six seniors were a big part of our program the last four years and beyond the games, I think they developed a bond they’ll remember forever,” Hummeldorf said. “They all grew up here playing softball together.”

The six seniors — Darrien Christian, Hannah Fitzgerald, Adriana Garrett, Madelyn Gorsuch, Trinity Jennings and Haley Taylor — were part of two region championship teams that made back-to-back Sweet 16 trips.

“Our younger players definitely have a tradition to live up to,” Hummeldorf said.

The high-scoring second game started in the top of the first inning when Garrett singled and later scored on a Gorsuch home run to give Richmond Hill a 2-0 lead.

Houston County took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the first on a bases-clearing double, but the Wildcats went up 4-3 in the top of the third on a two-run home run by Garrett after Kyra Byrd was safe on an error.

The scoring continued when the Bears went up 5-4 in the bottom of the fourth.

Richmond Hill scored three times in the top of the fifth for an 8-5 lead.

Brianna Harrison singled, then advanced to second when Byrd beat out a bunt. With two outs, Fitzgerald drew a walk, and a double by Gorsuch scored Harrison and Byrd. Gorsuch and Mackenzie DeLanghe, running for Fitzgerald, would then score on a double by Katie Snyder.

Houston County tied the score in the bottom of the fifth on a three-run homer. The Bears would eventually win in the bottom of the seventh on a single, a sacrifice bunt and another single.

“We executed our offense in the second game, we just couldn’t hold them on defense,” Hummeldorf said. “They’re a solid team.”

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