COLUMBUS, Ga. - The secret to the success of the Gordon Lee softball Lady Trojans may be out now. They're mad and they're not going to take it any longer.
Saddled with the baggage of four consecutive GHSA Class A softball runner-up finishes, Gordon Lee hit the 2010 elite eight with not only a rare undefeated record but also a feisty attitude. Even after fashioning 6-0 and 11-0 blowouts of Bryan County and Prince Avenue Christian on Thursday, the Lady Trojans are still angry.
"Our desire to win is ridiculous," said junior pitcher Brenna Nation, who pitched 11 shutout innings Thursday. "We're so tired of finishing second and coming home to our town and all them telling us it's all right, that we can do it next year. Well, this is the next year and I think this is when we do it.
"This is the best we've ever played, the best we've ever hit and the best I've ever pitched. We're so focused."
The Lady Trojans will face Providence Christian today at 5 p.m. in the winners-bracket final, with the winner advancing to Saturday's championship round.
Gordon Lee (36-0), preparing to become the state's first undefeated champion, pounded out 26 hits to back Nation's dominant four-hit, 17-strikeout pitching. She struck out 14 batters, including eight of the first nine, and allowed one hit in the opener against seventh-ranked Bryan. She was staked to an early 4-0 lead on Holli Brooks' two-run single in the first inning and Anna Quinn's RBI triple in the second.
In the second game against third-ranked Prince Avenue, Gordon Lee broke open a 3-0 game with four runs in the fourth on Sam Taylor's two-run double and Brooks' run-scoring double. Brooks had three hits in the opener and two in the second game to go with four RBIs, while Taylor had five hits and four RBIs and Kendall Johnson had five hits and four runs.
Even veteran coach Dana Mull was impressed with what she saw.
"The girls came out focused and ready to play today," she said. "I couldn't ask for anything more on the first day. They've got one goal in mind, and each game they know they're getting closer to that goal. This is the most focused I've seen them all year."