SOFTBALL: Wyatt’s walk-off whisks Irish to first win in first-week split with Lamar Co.

Some of Dublin softball’s freshest faces combined with the team’s familiar ones to bring home a walk-off win in the Irish home opener Thursday evening, completing a split of their first two games of the season against Lamar County. 

Freshman Rainna Wyatt pulled in a huge catch for the out that kept things tied as the Trojans rallied in the seventh to erase all of a six-run Dublin lead. And she came around in the home half to drive in Caitlyn Nesbitt for the winning run in the final 9-8 score. 

The exciting victory atoned for a rough afternoon on the road the day before, when the Irish fell 13-1 to Lamar over just four and a half innings in Barnesville. 

Dublin opens region play in its next home game, a battle against rival East Laurens set for Tuesday. 

The Irish used eight hits – against the Trojans’ seven at the plate – to score their nine runs, a majority early in the game to help build leads that stood at six runs after one, and four. 

But Lamar County would creep back from the fringe of striking distance, and score six needed to tie the game at 8 all in the seventh inning. 

Dublin had the key part of its batting order due up, with the 2-for-3 Nesbitt leading off in the bottom of the seventh after having whacked a triple earlier in the night. 

She stroked a single to get aboard, and quickly stole second, prompting Lamar County to intentionally walk Emily Maddox and put baserunners on first and second. 

An infield fly got the Trojans their first out, but Nesbitt would swipe her way to third shortly after, putting runners at the corners for Wyatt and bringing the Lamar infield in. And the freshman lofted an 0-2 pitch beyond the reach of their defenders into shallow right field to bring in the winning run. 

Maddox, Breanna Daniel and Anya Stanley also had RBIs. 

Daniel and El Stubbs (both freshmen who also added base hits to the tally) joined Nesbitt with a hand in Dublin’s combined pitching effort, which produced seven strikeouts and only two walks. 

Nesbitt went three innings in the start, with two hits, an earned run and four Ks. She gave way to Stubbs for another three and two thirds, including one earned run, one walk and three strikeouts. 

Daniel worked a portion of the seventh, going on the hook for two hits, three earned runs and one walk. 

Wednesday’s season opener didn’t go as well for the Irish, who were out-hit 13-1 by Lamar County. The Trojans cracked open a close game with five-run innings in the second and third, and tacked on two more in their half of the fourth before the run-rule ending. 

Dublin got its only run in the fourth on a Nesbitt double, then a Lamar error on her steal of third. 

Daniel worked a complete game in the circle, walking eight and striking out three.