Dudley softball all-stars win two at state, play for title Tuesday

Dudley Little League’s 10-12 softball all-stars picked up a pair of wins Sunday at the Georgia state tournament, moving them one away from clinching the championship.

By Janice Ballard & Clay Reynolds

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Sports

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July 9, 2024

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The Dudley Little League 10-12 softball all-stars are just one win away from clinching a spot in the Southeast Regional Tournament, after picking up two in a couple of close games over the weekend to advance to the finals of the Georgia state tournament in Augusta.

Despite weathering multiple lighting delays (one that postponed its original opener from Saturday) the team got both its games in on Sunday at the Martinez-Evans Little League Complex, coming from behind to defeat Harris County in a 3-2 nailbiter, then leading wire-to-wire on the way to a 4-2 victory over Hart County.

Dudley climbed back from two one-run deficits in the first matchup, tying the game at 1 in the fourth on singles by Zoey Wood and Mallori Necci, and a sacrifice fly by Paisley Powell, before rallying for two to go up by the final score in the fifth.

Colbee Sapp came through with RBI hits in separate at-bats to bookend the strong start at the plate over the first three innings against Hart County that opened an early 4-0 lead, of which Dudley would hang onto half the rest of the way.

Dudley will rematch with Harris County in the finals Tuesday night at 6 p.m. A second game, if necessary, will follow at Pete Alewine Field.

Authors

If there’s anything Janice enjoys more than photography, it’s frequenting Laurens County’s many social and sporting events. She’s been doing both for more than 10 years as a Courier Herald contributor, tasked with capturing the many moments that make life in our community special. The Dudley resident regularly documents local athletic contests and holiday festivities, while always keeping an eye out for unexpected photo opportunities along the way. During summertime, you can usually catch her near the home-plate backstops at Dudley Little League ballfields enjoying a Sno Biz or cinnamon pretzel while shooting the youth baseball and softball action.

Clay has headed up the Sports Desk since 2020, but his background at The Courier Herald – as a virtual jack of all trades – covers close to 15 years in a variety of full- and part-time roles since breaking in as a student intern during high school in 2010. The Dublin native, a proud alum of the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, has received numerous Georgia Press Association awards for his writing, photography and editing, including first-place honors recognizing the paper’s sports section in 2022, and its annual Heart of Georgia Football preview in 2023. In addition to reading his area sports coverage, you can also hear him on the radio as a local play-by-play voice, host of 92.7 WKKZ’s “Tailgate Party” and occasional contributor to the Georgia Southern Sports Network.