COVINGTON, Ga. -- The Newton Rams will play to advance Thursday night, after splitting the first two games with Shiloh in a best-of-three Region 8-AAAAAAA tournament series Wednesday night. 

The Lady Rams, already in the state tournament and now playing for state tournament seeding, started hot with an 11-1 victory against the Lady Generals in the series’ first game. Ty’liyah Hardeman went 3-for-4 in game one, with a RBI, while Allyriah Russell brought in two runners with a RBI double. 

Newton’s ace in the pitching circle, Britney Ellis, got the win by surrendering only four hits and recording three strikeouts in 61 pitches and five innings of work. 

Shiloh bounced back in game two, almost in identical fashion, ripping off a 10-2 win in a game that broke open with a four-run fifth inning. 

The teams will play a decisive Game 3 Thursday evening at 5 p.m. at Newton.