By Cade Cromer

Cordele Dispatch Contributor

ROCHELLE- The Wilcox County Lady Patriots softball team welcomed the Schley County Lady Wildcats to Rochelle for a big non-region matchup on Monday evening. It was the second matchup between the two teams this season, with the Lady Patriots having already won earlier this season at Schley County by a score of 2-1.

Chastity Stephens was the starting pitcher for the Lady Patriots and she got off to a solid start, holding Schley County scoreless through the first three innings.

Wilcox picked up their first run of the game in the second inning after consecutive two out singles from Marteisha and Marquetta Griffin gave them a run-scoring opportunity. Stephens subsequently hit a groundball to the shortstop that led to a Schley County error, which allowed Marteisha Griffin to score easily from third base. Wilcox led 1-0 at the end of the second inning.

The Lady Patriots then added four runs to their lead in the bottom of the third. Oakleigh Reeves got the inning started with a walk, and she scored a run shortly after when a Jamerical Marshall infield hit led to a throwing error by Schley County. Left fielder Anna Tripp then reached base on a shallow fly ball that the Wildcats were unable to corral. Next, an infield hit by Kareisha Outlaw pushed another run across the plate for the Lady Patriots. Marteisha Griffin sent another runner home on an RBI groundout, and Marquetta Griffin knocked in the fourth run of the inning with an RBI single.

Schley County got their first run of the game in the top of the fourth, but Wilcox County was able to limit the damage and they took a 5-1 lead into the bottom of the fourth.

The Lady Patriots tacked on their last two runs of the game in the bottom of the fourth. Oakleigh Reeves reached base on a one-out single and scored after a double from Carlee Walls. Walls then was able to score on an RBI single from Anna Tripp. The two runs put the Lady Patriots up 7-1 going into the fifth inning.

Schley picked up two runs in the fifth inning, and one in the sixth to make the score 7-4 in favor of Wilcox heading into the seventh inning. Schley County led off the inning with a single, and they were able to tack on one more run to bring the score to 7-5, but that was as close as they would get, as senior pitcher Laura Lee Keene relieved Chastity Stephens and got the final two outs to finish the game off for a Wilcox County win.

The Lady Patriots then hosted region opponent Echols County on Tuesday evening. Keene pitched the full game, striking out 10 and only allowing three hits in a 5-3 win for Wilcox.

After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first, Wilcox County used a five-run bottom of the third to take control of the game. Marquetta Griffin got a two out rally started with a base hit to shallow right field. Stephens followed that up with a walk, and Keene subsequently reached base on an error that allowed Griffin to score from third base. Stephens was able to score on a wild pitch shortly after to give Wilcox a 2-1 lead.

Reeves reached base on a walk next for the Lady Patriots, and Walls followed up with a three-run homerun to deep centerfield to put Wilcox up 5-1. Echols County added two runs in the top of the sixth to make the score 5-3, but the Lady Patriots were able to finish the game off for another important region win.

With the two wins this week, the Lady Patriots brought their winning streak to 15 in a row. They will finish up the regular season next week with games versus Clinch County, Atkinson and Irwin.