COLUMBUS — Three of the four northeast Georgia teams in the Elite 8 of the state softball tournament advanced to the second round Thursday at the Olympic Softball Complex.
In Class AAAAA, Region 8-AAAAA champion Buford beat Starr’s Mill 9-1 and 8-AAAAA runner-up Walnut Grove blanked Whitewater 4-0 to advance. The two teams will meet at 9 a.m. on Friday with the winner moving into the semifinals.
For Buford, junior Logan Caymol (14-1) took a no-hitter into the sixth before finishing with a complete-game, three-hitter to go with 10 strikeouts.
Buford broke a scoreless tie in the second plating four runs and added a run in the third and then two each in the fifth and sixth innings.
Senior Samantha Thomas had a double, triple, and scored three runs to lead the Buford offense. Sophomore Shea Bayreuther had a hit and two RBI, junior Arielle Oda had a triple and a one RBI, and junior Gabby Benson had two hits for the Lady Wolves.
Friday’s showdown with Walnut Grove will be the two teams' fifth meeting of the season with Buford holding a 3-1 edge so far.
Walnut Grove is the only Class AAAAA team to knock off the Lady Wolves in 2016. Buford is seeking its 10th straight state title.
In Class AAAA, Region 8-AAAA champion Jefferson advanced to the second round with a 3-2 win over Chapel Hill. Region 8-AAAA runner-up Stephens County however, lost 2-0 to Central-Carroll in another first round game.
Jefferson will take on Central-Carroll at 9 a.m. on Friday for a spot in the semifinals. Stephens County will play Chapel Hill at 1 p.m. Friday in an elimination game.
Oconee County, which was the third 8-AAAA team to advance to the Elite 8, fell to No. 1 Northside-Columbus 7-2 in the first round and will take on Marist in an elimination game on Thursday.
In Class AAA, East Jackson beat Crisp County 9-1 to advance. The Lady Eagles will take on Morgan County, which was a 9-0 winner over Southeast Bulloch, at 9 a.m. Friday in the second round. Also in AAA, Cook County knocked off three-time defending state champion Calhoun 13-6 in the first round.
