Buford advances to state championship game with win over East Coweta

Buford has a chance to be back-to-back GHSA Class AAAAAAA State Champions after they defeated East Coweta 3-2 on Friday, October 27 in Columbus. The game was hard-fought, taking eight innings to get the win.

East Coweta scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a two-run home run by Addie Joiner.

Sophomore Caroline Stanton was the lead-off hitter in the top of the second inning. She would score off of a solo home run, her eighth home run of the season.

Both Stanton and East Coweta’s Jada Savage were focused and gave batters a hard time making it extremely difficult to get any sort of momentum going.

Sophomore Addie Rackley tied up the game at 2-2 after she hit her own solo home run in the top of the fifth inning.

Senior Madison Pickens hit the game-winning home run in the top of the eighth inning. It was her 19th home run this year.

In the bottom of the eighth, East Coweta started building momentum with two runners on base with two outs. They were dangerously close to scoring position but Stanton ended their hopes with her sixth strikeout of the game.

Stanton recorded her 14th win of the year. She gave up eight hits, two earned runs, six strikeouts and two walks in her eight innings of work.

Offensive standouts of Buford were Rackley (2-for-3, solo home run, one RBI, one run scored), Stanton (1-for-2, solo home run, one RBI, one run scored) and Madison Pickens (1-for-4, solo home run, one RBI, one run scored).

Buford will play the winner of the East Coweta/Brookwood game for the state title at 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 28 in Columbus.