North Augusta softball found its groove with a dominant 11-8 win over Midland Valley to clinch the series and Region 4-AAAA.
The Jackets kept their streak of region championships going with a 10-1 region record this year. The title earned North Augusta a No. 1 seed and the promise of hosting its first playoff game on March 30.
While the bats fell silent in game two of the series on April 17, the North Augusta’s offense came alive on Friday, tallying 11 runs on 13 hits while only striking out twice as a team.
LeAnn Gilbert started on the mound for the Jackets, pitching 6.1 innings, striking out six with four walks while allowing five runs on nine hits.
On Wednesday, head coach Lindsey Jones said they were playing unusually flat and swinging at pitches they’d typically watch. After coming home with a 14-7 win against Airport on Thursday, North Augusta gained its momentum back with the region on the line.
The Jackets have commanded the field offensively throughout the season with double-digit outputs, including a 12-7 win over Midland Valley on April 15.
Although the support North Augusta shows each other is an advantage, that goes beyond any recorded statistic.
“One of the things we talk a lot about, especially in these rival games, is control what you can control,” Jones said on Wednesday. “It might get loud outside the fence but as long as you can do what you can do inside the fence then you've got one leg up.”
One way the Jackets keep control is by being loud in the dugout to for their teammates no matter the score. Jones said it boosts the team’s motivation when they step up to the plate.
“As soon as you start to get quiet the momentum tends to go to the other team,” she said. “That's something we talk about a lot. It’s just always staying up and hey, don't ever put it past us. I don't care if we're down by 10, until the game is over, don't count us out.”
North Augusta will take its energy into the playoffs after finishing up its season with games against Aiken, Lexington and Chapin. While the updated bracket has not been released, the Jackets are set to host the fourth seed from Region 1-AAAA in the first round.
Midland Valley clinches the second place spot with an 8-3 region record and will also host its first playoff game in April. It will face the number three seed from the 1-AAAA.
Coach Katie Anderson said on April 17 Midland Valley is ready for big moments, including the region championship and the playoffs.
“It’s fun,” she said. “I mean, this is what we're here for. This is what we worked for in October and in the fall.”
Midland Valley had a late-game scoring surge with three runs in the fifth and another five in the seventh inning. Ultimately it was not enough to bridge the gap between the two teams after North Augusta maintained a comfortable lead.
Two of the Mustangs' region losses came at the hand of their cross-county rival, while the third was a 5-4 loss to Airport.
Airport (6-6) and South Aiken (2-7) claim the final two spots in the postseason and will travel to play the number one and number two seeds, from 1-AAAA.
The updated bracket can be found at schsl.org.
