October 14 2022 – Douglasville GA: The East Paulding Raiders defeat the South Paulding Spartans in 2022 Region Title Game.
The GHSA Region 5 Class 6A region softball title was on the line for both the East Paulding Raiders and the South Paulding Spartans. The Raiders ended up on top after 7 innings of play, narrowly edging out the Spartans, 2-1.
East Paulding Raiders fired up the offense in the first inning, scoring twice on errors committed by South Paulding. The two runs scored by the Raiders on the Spartans errors were the game changer, despite out-hitting the Raiders. Kayla Berry, Abby Pendergrass, and Hannah Davis each collected one hit to lead East Paulding with their bats. Taylor Daniel led South Paulding with two hits in three at bats.
Both teams were strong on the rubber Thursday night. JJ Sweat allowed six hits to South Paulding and recorded 12 strikeouts. Sweat issued zero walks and had one earned run. The Spartans’ Taylor Daniel gave up three hits, walked two, and had zero earned runs charged against her. Both pitchers threw for seven innings, with Daniel throwing 93 pitches and Sweat working through 125 pitches. Sweat earned the win for East Paulding.
Congratulations to the entire Raiders Varsity softball team and coaches on their region title win! The win is the second consecutive region title for the Raiders.
Next up for the East Paulding Raiders softball team is the 2022-2023 GHSA Class AAAAAA State Fast Pitch Softball Playoffs. The Raiders will host the River Ridge Knights at Raiders Field on Tuesday, October 18, 2022.