Effingham County High School

Lady Rebels get back on field, back on track

Statesboro High School at Effingham County High School

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The Effingham County Lady Rebels softball team was glad to be back on the winning track — and glad just to be playing again.

A two-week hiatus, the result of bad weather and poor health, ended in Tuesday’s 11-0 drubbing of Statesboro in a Region 2-AAAA game. Effingham, now 3-1 on the year and in the region, had not played since an Aug. 19 5-0 loss to South Effingham.

“It feels like the old first game of the season,” quipped Lady Rebels coach Matt Huntley. “It feels good to be back on the field. When you’ve got time off like that, practice lags a little bit.”

Morgan Smith allowed just one hit in five innings, a two-out, first-inning single. But no other Lady Blue Devil reached base safely against Smith, who got a diving catch from second baseman Caroline Neidlinger in the third inning.

“Morgan gave us a chance,” Huntley said. “We hit the ball a little bit. After seeing batting practice for so long, it’s good to get them out there rolling a little bit.”

Annabeth Helmly’s two-out triple to right scored Bridget Devlin with the first run in the first inning. Effingham broke the game open with six runs in the second inning.

Rachel Laverenz’s comebacker to pitcher Lauren Haddon brought in one run. After a walk and Neidlinger’s bunt single, Smith plated another run with a forceout. An error on Devlin’s grounder made it 4-0 before Helmly drove in another with a single to center. Maddie Evans knocked in the final two runs of the inning with a triple to right field.

The Lady Rebels scored three more runs in the third on just an infield single, a walk and three errors. Statesboro (0-8, 0-7 Region 2-AAAA) turned a 5-3-2 double play on Helmly’s grounder to third to end the inning.

An error, two walks and two forceouts, one Kendall Usher’s run-scoring grounder, brought in the Lady Rebels’ final run.

Effingham finished with seven hits, with Neidlinger going 2-for-2 and Helmly going 2-for-3.

The Lady Rebels had their tournament at North Gwinnett rained out after three batters in their opening game. Their doubleheader with Greenbrier was pushed back from Aug. 27 to Sept. 14 after a staph infection outbreak sidelined several players.

Three varsity players and two junior varsity players were diagnosed with staph, prompting Huntley to send the team home for a day and instructing them to stay away from each other.

“Some thing like that is contagious, you try to keep everything as clean as possible,” he said.

Effingham also played without Kacee Page, who was under the weather, and Allysha Martinez, out with a sprained ankle.

Effingham will take part in a tournament in Brunswick, facing North Cobb on Friday at 7 p.m. and McIntosh County Academy at 8:30. The Lady Rebels will face Richmond Hill on Saturday morning at 10:30 and could have a fourth game waiting.

If, Huntley pointed out, the weather cooperates.

“Hopefully Earl will hold off and we’ll get in some games,” he said, noting the hurricane making its way across the Atlantic Ocean.

Effingham will host South Effingham on Tuesday.