With two runners on base and her team down one run, freshman Bryce Greenwood stepped up to the plate in the seventh inning of an elimination game at the Region 7-3A tournament for the Dawson County varsity softball team.
She knew exactly what she needed to do, and delivered.
Her walk-off two-run single capped an 11-10 victory and an all-around dramatic day for the Lady Tigers on day one of the tournament on Saturday, Oct. 8.
(Story continues below)Coming off a 3-2 walk-off loss against Lumpkin County earlier in the day, Dawson needed a win against West Hall to advance further through the bottom half of the bracket.
Having traversed all of the growing pains and learning curves of the regular season, the Lady Tigers gave all they had against a Lady Spartans team equally up to the challenge of survival.
West Hall struck first in the game and got out to a 7-1 lead within the first two innings before Dawson began a furious rally.
After a three-run third inning, the Lady Tigers scored five more in the fourth inning to take their first lead of the game.
Big hits by Greenwood, Avery Heidt and Lauren Kurtz contributed to the comeback.
But by the seventh inning, West Hall had inched back into the lead at 10-9. On an 0-2 count, Greenwood brought in the decisive runs that allowed Dawson to continue its journey at the region tournament.
Greenwood would finish with three hits and five runs batted in, Ace Cochran and Sadie Dotson each had a pair of hits and Kurtz had two RBI. Every hitter in the batting order had at least one hit.
The enormous rally encapsulated the potential of an offense fueled by its youth. Aside from junior Layne Bailey, the freshman duo of Dotson and Greenwood along with sophomore Micah Burruss have led the offense this season.
That offense prepared to take on the loser of the matchup between Pickens and White County Monday night. The results of that game will be updated on the DCN website.