COVINGTON, Ga. – Once again, the Eastside Lady Eagles are traveling back to Columbus. The now 28-1 Lady Eagles swept the Cedartown Lady Bulldogs with final scores of 12-4 and 7-4, respectively, to advance to the elite eight in the 4A state championship.

While star players Donee Morain and Eva Davis were left injured in their final home games, the Lady Eagles showed a true level of determination through some reliable pieces.

Specifically, Avery Jewell and Savanna Griffin delivered two electric home runs in game one to lift the Lady Eagles. On the mound, Memphis commit Kylee Lawrence excelled once again with a 12-strikeout performance.

“I’m extremely proud of these girls and what they’ve accomplished all season,” said veteran head coach Heather Wood. “Advancing to Columbus is just the start of the next chapter of our season.”

Griffin, Jewell set Lady Eagles apart from Lady Bulldogs in Game One

The bats were flying almost immediately between both squads.

On the second play of the game Mariah Westmoreland scored for the Lady Bulldogs after a single RBI by Shailey Pittman. A walk with bases loaded led to a second runner to put the Lady Bulldogs 2-0.

But the Stetson commit and reigning All-Cov News MVP Davis got things back on track with her first strikeout to end the frame.

Then, the Lady Eagles had their turn to get rolling. Hits from Morain, Ansley Hartman and Jayah Johnson tied the game up within minutes.

An error by Cedartown’s Lexi Bennett led to an Allison Brooks score. This led to a Lawrence sacrifice, allowing Johnson to add to the Lady Eagles’ lead.

The scoring continued in the second after Kam Davis improved the score to 5-2 on a fielder’s choice. It did not come with consequences, however, as Morain was injured on the play, leaving her out for the remainder of the series.

After another scoreless frame from Cedartown, the Lady Eagles took it up another notch. Jewell notched the first home run of the night, bringing in two other runners alongside her to set the score at 8-2 in the bottom of the third inning.

Cedartown remained determined, with their best offensive showing coming in the top of the fourth inning. A bunt by Westmoreland led to a critical error by Allie Vaughn, allowing the Lady Bulldogs to score two more runs.

But that would be the last runs the Lady Bulldogs would score, as the momentum shifted right back to Eastside. Griffin nailed a line drive homer to the football practice field to improve the Lady Eagles’ lead to 10-4.

Alyssa Hartman got in on the action, adding another RBI to build the Lady Eagles’ lead to 11-4.

Cedartown looked to build momentum for a big comeback in the bottom of the sixth. After two outs, a line drive appeared to hit Davis directly on her left, non-throwing hand, injuring her and leaving her out for the rest of the series.

After Cedartown came up short offensively, Vaughn nailed a single in the bottom of the sixth inning that turned into a triple after an error. A passed ball allowed the Coastal Carolina commit to breeze by to lock up the first win of the night.

Lawrence delivers another solid performance on the mound

After a 30-minute intermission, the Lady Eagles were right back to form with hits from Johnson and Vaughn. A sacrifice by Griffin allowed Johnson to score and a 1-0 lead for Eastside.

Cedartown was not fazed, however, as an errant play allowed the Lady Bulldogs to tie it up.

Following a scoreless second inning, the Lady Eagles got back to work in the top of the third. Vaughn’s RBI single and Avery Jewell’s three-RBI double gave Eastside a commanding 5-1 lead.

The Lady Bulldogs added another run in the bottom to keep things interesting at 5-2.

Three straight hits in the top of the fourth led to Lilly Stowe scoring the Lady Eagles’ sixth run.

In the next frame, Cedartown once again stacked the bases, leading to a bases-loaded situation. During what was a routine out, Lawrence controversially relinquished control of the ball, with the umpires ruling it a drop and allowing the run to stand.

After a routine play, the Lady Eagles contained Cedartown to a 6-3 lead to end the fourth inning.

A scoreless fifth inning led to another surge of hitting momentum in the top of the sixth, with Stowe and Ansley Hartman nailing singles. Johnson’s ground-out sacrifice allowed Stowe to score and the Lady Eagles to add onto their lead.

With the Lady Bulldogs only holding Eastside to one run in the top of the sixth frame, the underdogs had a chance to even things up. But a solid defensive series from Johnson and Kam Davis led to three consecutive outs and a chance to add on.

Cedartown would not go quietly though. After a single by Lawrence, Cedartown pitcher Shailey Pittman delivered two straight strikeouts. 

Following a groundout by Davis, the Lady Bulldogs once again had a chance to make things interesting in the final frame.

Pittman would pick things up on offense, singling to center field. With two outs on the field, Bennett proved the lights were not too bright as she delivered a one-run RBI double.

Unfortunately for Cedartown, that was the end of their run, as Lawrence delivered her 12th strikeout of the game to send the Eagles to the elite eight.

Lady Eagles just a few wins away from elusive state title

This is not the Lady Eagles’ first trip in Columbus, but they are not looking to return empty handed.

With the Lady Eagles expected to play tough opponents such as Kell and the defending state champs, Harris County, the Lady Eagles will need to lock in.

“The message is to try and win every pitch and every game,” Lawrence said. “Just making sure everything is intentional and that everything is with a purpose.” 

But after a near flawless season, the Lady Eagles are climbing level by level to reach the mountaintop.

“It’s these girls' mission to win a state championship,” Wood said. “We were so close last year and that’s what drove us all year. We know it’s not going to be easy and there’s a lot of experienced teams. It’s going to be a battle, but we think we have the team to do it.”