‘Hard to put into words’: Houston County wins emotional region title with extra inning heroics

Down 6-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Houston County (16-5-2) stepped up to the plate. It was the second game of a region doubleheader against cross-county rival, Northside. Houston had already won the first game 8-2 and needed one more win to claim the Region 1-6A championship.

With their backs against the wall, the Bears rose to the occasion. They began to rally back by stringing together three runs to tie it up. As everybody seemed to hold their breath at the Bears’ home field, freshman Abbie Havard batted in the walk-off run to send the team into a frenzy as the dugout bull rushed home plate.

The screams and emotions of joy emerged after years of playing together and coming up short in the region championship. The win brought Houston County its first region championship since 2016 and the journey to it made it one for the books.

“These seniors deserve it, They’ve been here for four years and were second place the past three years, so it finally feels good to get that number one seed,” said Head Coach Scott Lamb while holding back teary eyes. “It means a lot to me, these seniors, I just love them so much. I’ve been coaching them since they were 10 years old. I’m just so proud of them, how they fought to the end. We had a freshman pitching both games and then the seniors stepped up when they had to at the end. I’m just excited, it’s hard to put into words right now. I just want to celebrate with my team.”

This is Lamb’s second year as Houston’s head coach but his relationship with most of his players began long ago as he’s has been a longtime summer team coach. Seniors Alice Thomas, Bobbi Poff, Makayla Krepps, Kendall Huelsman, Jocelyn Ross, Averi Martin and Elena Olson are the backbone of this team and have been through so much together. Though they’ve been the cornerstone, an irreplaceable piece to their success has been freshman pitcher, Ally Fleming.

Fleming came in with big shoes to fill. The team’s number one pitcher graduated and their next one up transferred, leaving Fleming to pitch the bulk load this season. Lamb thought his team would have to score upwards to 10 runs per game to win at a high clip. That hasn’t been the case with Fleming’s 2.14 ERA on the season.

“The sky is the limit for her,” said Lamb about Fleming’s future in the program. “It’s tough on a freshman to have to carry a load like that. She’s 9-1, it’s not always pretty but our defense bails her out some and she does a great job of managing the game. I’m so proud of her. You know, freshman aren’t usually mentally tough; but she’s tough on the mound. Her mental game is really good.”

Fleming’s poise is on full display when things aren’t going the Bears’ way. Whether it’s hits or errors, she’s never rattled. After battling tendonitis through the first month of the season, Fleming feels she’s a made leap in her progress as a pitcher from then to now. But even with the incredible season she’s had, Fleming gives the glory to her teammates.

“It helps a lot that I have my defense behind me and that they’re willing to do whatever they can to get the outs and not let runners score,” said Fleming when asked how she manages to remain even-keel during games. “It makes me feel better as a pitcher to the know I have them and their support.”

The defense proved to have Fleming’s back and showed their heart on Thursday’s win in extra innings. Not so typical errors in the infield led to Northside’s three scores in the ninth and the seniors didn’t quit after it. They retaliated and were the difference maker in a win that could propel them to something even bigger with playoffs beginning in a couple of weeks.

“Oh, I’m feeling really good,” said Fleming confidently about how she felt about her team going into the postseason as region champs. “I’m confident about going to state and winning that.”

Houston County will be a No.1 seed and may even get a bye in the first round. They are set to play the No.4 seed in Region 4-6A, which is Lakeside (1-0) as of Friday, who just played their first game on Sept. 29. Lakeside is a part of the Dekalb County school district that just began its softball season on Sept.28.

But before the playoffs begin, Houston County has five more regular season games, including a rematch with West Laurens (7-1) and Northside (9-10).

The Bears’ are right back to work on Saturday, Oct. 3 as they West Laurens at home at 11:00 a.m.

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