Lady Panthers second in Region 8-AA
Union goes 4-2 to advance to State Sectionals this Friday
By JARED PUTNAM

Dana Seabolt fires to the batter.

The Lady Panthers softball team took second place in the Region 8-AA tournament, earning a spot in the State Sectionals in the process.

The Lady Panthers kicked off the tournament in style, easily defeating Washington Wilkes 10-0 in their opening bout.

The team next faced Morgan County, in a game where Union took a 3-2 lead on RBI singles by Kaley Sullivan and April Harper.

But mistakes were the Lady Panthers downfall, as the team committed eight errors.

"I think it was a game in which nerves got to us a little bit," said Coach Jim Hughes, who has helped the team as a first base coach during parts of the season.

Morgan County managed a pair of runs in the 5th inning, taking the lead and holding on for a 4-3 win.

April Harper had a strong pitching performance, fanning 8 hitters while allowing only 5 hits.

Despite the heartbreaker, the Lady Panthers had no time to reflect on their loss, as they were pitted against Banks County only 15 minutes after that game finished.

This contest was the deciding game that ensured Union County a place in Sectionals. The Lady Panthers edged a very determined Banks County team 10-9.

April Harper winds up for a pitch.

Coach Hughes said the girls came back strong after the disappointing loss to Morgan County.

The Lady Panthers next faced Rabun County, to begin the process of determining where they would be seeded. They had already beaten the Rabun Cats twice during the regular season.

Rabun struck early, scoring a pair of runs in the first inning but starter Dana Seabolt shut them down after that. The Union County bats came alive in the fourth inning, and the Lady Panthers would end up with an easy 9-2 victory. This gave the Lady Panthers another shot at Morgan County. In the rematch the Lady Panthers received another dominant pitching performance

from April Harper, who struck out 10. Brooklyn Swartz had a huge game at the plate, beginning with her first homerun of her high school career in the 1st inning. Morgan County scored only one run of it's own, leaving the game tied going into the bottom of the 7th. With the bases loaded Swartz

Brooklyn Swartz delivers to the plate.

came through again, this time with a solid single to right field to win the game.

In the championship game the Lady Panthers fell 5-1 to North Oconee, giving them second place in the tournament. Union County will now play Friday night against Heard.