SIBLEY – Lakeside freshman phenom Laney Taylor was excellent in the circle and at the plate in Monday’s first-round playoff game against Vidalia.
Taylor pitched a complete-game, 3-hit beauty, striking out six batters, allowing no walks and no earned runs to propel Lakeside to a tight 2-1 victory.
The Lady Warriors had just six hits of their own against a formidable Vidalia Lady Vikings team that committed zero errors behind three different pitchers.
(Blake Branch/Press-Herald) Sydney Robinson takes an aggressive cut and sends a liner to shortstop during the Lady Warriors’ 2-1 win over Vidalia.
The game was knotted at zero until the bottom of the third when Lakeside broke through with a two-out rally.
Abby Zemaitaitis started things off with a two-out single, followed by Frances Robinson drawing a two-out walk. Chelsea Mays, Lakeside’s only senior in the starting lineup, singled to right centerfield, but Zemaitaitis had to see the ball down and could not score on the play.
That brought up Paige Garland with the bases juiced. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Garland dropped a base hit into shallow right for a 2-RBI single that proved decisive in the end.
(Blake Branch/Press-Herald) Lakeside catcher Frances Robinson is all smiles on her way back to the dugout after scoring the go-ahead run in Monday’s playoff win.
Vidalia would scratch out a run off Taylor in the fifth followed a single, a controversial stolen base and an error, but Lakeside’s young ace dug deep for the final two outs of that inning and never allowed a runner to reach scoring position again.
Taylor’s infield – Cecily Gurgainers (3B), Sydney Robinson (SS), Ella Nellsen (2B) and Garland (1B) – did a great job of making plays behind her all game long.
Taylor finished the game 2-4 at the plate Garland went 1-2 with 2 RBI; Mays, Zemaitaitis and Madison Hinze each singled for Lakeside, who will host No. 9 Winnfield in the second-round.
The Lady Tigers were 7-0 winners in round one over No. 24 DeQuincy.