Stepping up several notches in competition, the undefeated and second-ranked SCHS Lady Gamecocks of Billy Pollock downed AAAAA’s No. 10-ranked Parkview and previously unbeaten AAAA South Effingham in the semifinals and finals, respectively, to repeat as champions of the Battle in the Boro at Mill Creek in Statesboro last weekend.
The Red and White hosts Southeast Bulloch this Sept. 2 afternoon at 5 in a crucial 3AA-A subregion battle. On Friday, the team will travel to Hazlehurst to face 2AA power Jeff Davis with a junior varsity game as well.
After a busy, busy first two weeks, SCHS is not scheduled to return to action until Thursday, Sept. 9, when they travel to Swainsboro to complete the first round robin of sub-region competition.
A year ago the Lady Jackets of SEB handed the Lady Gamecocks a 4-2 loss on the local field. The loss represented the lone regular-season defeat in what turned into a 27-3 season-long campaign for SCHS. It also represents one of just two home losses in the first two years of play on the new field (the other being to Thomson 6-3 in 2008). 
On Tuesday, the team hosted Laney in a sub-region contest and coasted to a 22-0 two-and-a-half inning win. In two at bats, Pollock sent 17 different players to the plate with 16 of them scoring runs.
The real news, however, came in Statesboro Aug. 27 and 28.
For the second year in a row, the Lady Gamecocks and the Lady Mustangs of South Effingham squared off in the title tilt in Statesboro. A year ago the verdict went to SCHS by a margin of 5-1, while this year the final was 3-2 in an extremely intense contest. This go around the Red and White scored twice in the first and were never overtaken.
The semifinal encounter saw the Lady Gamecocks break a 2-2 fifth-inning tie with a five-spot to claim a 7-2 win over 8AAAAA Parkview. 
Parkview went on to defeat 8AAAA Heritage-Conyers 3-2 in the consolation contest. Heritage entered the semifinals at 11-1 on the season before dropping their semifinal contest to South Effingham 5-2.
To get to the Gold Bracket Finals in Statesboro, the Red and White defeated Metter 11-2; Savannah Christian (for the second time in seven days) 7-1; and Swainsboro 8-3.
As far as the tone of the championship game, it was set in the first. 
After South led off the game with a double, the runner reached third on a sac bunt. Marla Thompson then struck out the No. 3 and No. 4 Mustang hitters to end the threat. The Gamecocks used their half of the first to record three hits (Lovey Sheppard, Tiffanie Burns and Rochelle Shuman) and reach on an error (Sydnee Weaver) to take a 2-0 lead.  The inning also featured three runners thrown out at home plate.
South cut the margin to 2-1 in the third before a double by Tiffanie Burns and a single by Courtney Burns upped the count to 3-1 in the home half of the third. South closed the gap to 3-2 in the fifth, but Thompson retired the final six -- three by strikeout, to end the game. The senior scattered six hits while striking out a season-high 11 batters.
After Parkview scored twice in the top of the fifth to erase a 2-0 deficit in the semi, the Lady Gamecocks put on a display of speed and bunting to blow the game open. RBIs by Lauren Thomas and Thompson had given the early lead, but in the fifth the team took advantage of two hits, a hit batsman and three sacrifice bunts that turned into base runners when the Panthers momentarily forgot how to throw and catch. Thompson allowed five hits while striking out seven. Shuman had two hits.
In opening-round pool play, Pollock got a pair of complete games from sophomore Dawn Stewart -- one against Metter and the other against Swainsboro (all three runs in that contest were unearned), while Thompson went the distance against SCPS.
Against Metter, Weaver, Courtney Burns, Shuman and Madyson Torres had a pair of hits each. One of Burns’ hits was a two-run homer. 
Weaver and Courtney Burns also picked up another two hits against SCPS Friday night. In addition to picking up the win Saturday morning against Swainsboro, Stewart also recorded a pair of RBIs.
Yesterday, Wednesday, Sept. 1, the team was scheduled to host South Effingham as part of a four games in four days week. The contest was not compete before press time. 
A previously scheduled contest set for last Thursday in Marlow was cancelled because of the wet grounds in the Lady Mustangs’ stadium. Friday’s contest with Jeff Davis will match a pair of teams whose seniors boast some outstanding records. While the Lady Gamecocks have gone 68-21 with two Region 3AA titles and a runner-up over the past three seasons, the Lady Jackets are 75-22 with one 2AA title and one runner-up.