Six-run first powers South Forsyth over Denmark

ALPHARETTA, GEORGIA – South Forsyth got their bats going early Thursday night in their final regular season softball game of the season against host Denmark.

The War Eagles (19-6) spotted starting pitcher Ellie Balose six runs in the top of the first and that’s all the senior needed. Balose went on to throw five innings of five-hit, one-run ball and the offense tallied double-digit runs to win the game in dominant fashion, 11-1 over the Danes.

The victory caps a perfect 10-0 record in Region 6-AAAAAAA play and as a result, South will host Denmark next week in a best-of-three series for the region crown.

After defeating Denmark 4-0 earlier in the season, South head coach Leanne Brooks said they made some adjustments that were able to lead to their big night offensively.

“Since we saw them the first time, we’ve talked a lot about adjustments,” Brooks said. “Staying back. Not getting out over our front foot. And the girls have really been working hard on that. It paid off tonight.”

Kennedy Pickett started the game in the circle for the Danes and struggled early. The sophomore allowed five hits and walked three in the top of the first and the War Eagles grabbed a commanding 6-0 lead before Balose ever threw a pitch.

Kennedy Ariail drove in the game's first run with a rifle shot to center and Josie Crossman made it 2-0 after an infield single.

Back-to-back bases-loaded walks from Megan Lockhead and Sarah Quian gave South a 4-0 lead and Ansley Chiang capped the inning off with a 2-out, 2-RBI double to make it 6-0.

“It was incredibly huge, especially since we didn’t score again until the sixth inning,” Brooks said of their first inning. “It’s nice coming out and hitting strong in the first inning. It gives you a little bit of a cushion and makes you kind of relax a little bit. We just have to make sure we don’t relax too much.”

Balose allowed hits in four out of the five innings that she pitched, but was able to limit the damage to just one run. Denmark’s only run of the game came in the third inning that cut South’s lead to 6-1.

Crossman replaced Balose in the circle in the sixth and just like her teammate, was able to work around a double and a walk to get out of the inning unscathed.

South tacked on a run in the sixth on an RBI single from Ariail and then put the game out of reach in the seventh with four more runs.

Karly Casey earned her third hit of the night in the seventh with an RBI single that made it 10-1. Casey finished her night 3-for-4 with a walk and reached base in all five trips to the plate.

Ariail led the way with a team-best three RBIs on a 2-for-4 night while Emme Souter reached base three times, including two hits and an RBI.

Brooks gave a lot of credit to the many seniors, including Arial, Souter, Chiang and Balose for leading the way Thursday night.

With the playoffs right around the corner, South has quietly stacked some quality wins, including a 7-1 win against North Gwinnett and a 9-3 win on the road at Mill Creek.

In their last 16 games, the War Eagles are 14-2 and are playing some of their best softball of the season heading into the region tournament.

“I think that we have the potential to be dangerous (in the playoffs), but you never know who is going to show up on a given day,” Brooks said. “Just like anybody else, we’ve had our days where we’re only scoring one or not scoring any. You just have to hope for the best and do what you can. Trust them and have them trust the process.”