JEFFERSON, Ga. - The Eastside Lady Eagles held off the Jefferson Lady Dragons 13-12 Thursday night. The win moved Eastside one step closer to a region title.

In a game featuring the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in Region 8-AAAAA, the bats did not disappoint.

Despite both teams having success at the plate, Eastside maintained the edge throughout the game to eventually earn the win.

After the game, head coach Heather Wood felt good about her team’s approaches at the plate.

“I think we hit the ball well and did a good job finding ways to manufacture runs,” Wood said. “They were going through pitchers and not letting up, but at this point of the season we know it is going to be a lot of back and forth.”

After surrendering a 3-2 lead in the second inning, the Lady Eagles took the lead in the top of the third and held it the rest of the way. 

With two outs in the third inning, Kaela Lay shot the ball down the third base line for what looked like a two-run double. However, errant throws from the Jefferson fielders allowed Lay to score on the inside the park home run.

Eastside produced another round-tripper in the next frame with a home run off the bat of Allie Vaughn. The Lady Eagles scored on another Jefferson error later in the inning to make it a 7-3 game.

In the fifth, Donee Morian and Lila Whitmire scored three on a pair of doubles. Dezaria Johnson later hit into an RBI groundout to make it a 11-6 lead for Eastside going into the bottom half of the inning.

After Jefferson rallied to make it a 11-9 game, the Lady Eagles went yard once again to give them some insurance. 

Savanna Griffin hit a line drive over the left-center wall for the two-run home run.

The four run advantage did not last long for the Lady Eagles.

Five Jefferson batters reached in the bottom of the sixth but Eastside escaped the inning with a narrow 13-12 lead.

After having no success at the plate in the top of the seventh, the Lady Eagles pitched a scoreless bottom frame to secure the tight win.

Five Lady Eagles batters finished with two hits or more while also hitting three home runs.

Eastside’s win secured the season series over Jefferson while also giving them cushion as the top-seeded team in Region 8-AAAAA.

The win moved the Lady Eagles to 16-4 overall with a 12-2 record in region play. They will be back on the diamond on the road against Flowery Branch Monday, October 2.

With more games to play, the region is still undecided and Wood has her mind set on her team finishing the regular season strong.

“Nothing is set in stone, we have to finish strong,” Wood said. “This was an important game for us and a great opportunity but we know we have to continue to do well the rest of the season.”