Heard County Athletics

Heard County Athletics Department News.

GHSA Class AA State Softball Tournament Preview: Lady Braves vs. Harlem Bulldogs

Heard Co. Lady Braves vs. Harlem

WHAT: GHSA State Championship Tournament featuring the top eight teams from each classification in Georgia vying for eight State Championships

WHEN: Thursday-Saturday (October 24-26)

OPENING GAME: The Lady Braves will battle the Harlem Bulldogs @ 4:00 PM on Thursday, Oct. 24 (Field #3)

WHERE: South Commons Softball Complex

ADDRESS: 400 4th St., Columbus, GA  31901 (Directions)

SEEDINGS: Lady Braves #1 in Region 5-AA, Bulldogs #1 in Region 4-AA

RECORDS: Lady Braves (26-6, 11-1), Bulldogs (30-3, 8-0)

HEAD COACHES: Lady Braves — Matt Hornsby, Bulldogs — Mike Leverett

STATE RANKINGS: Lady Braves (Ranked #2 in Class AA by Score Atlanta), Bulldogs (Ranked #3 in Class AA by Score Atlanta)

BRACKET: Class AA State Tournament Bracket

HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Lady Braves won Region 5-AA and defeated Pepperell and Bleckley County in rounds one and two. The Bulldogs won Region 4-AA and defeated Toombs County and Rabun County in rounds one and two.

AT STAKE FOR THE WINNER: The winner of Heard Co./Harlem game at 4:00 PM Thursday afternoon will advance to play at 10:00 AM Friday morning (Field #6) vs. the winner between Rockmart (#1 Seed Region 7-AA) and Vidalia (#1 Seed Region 2-AA). The winner of that 10:00 AM match-up will advance to the winner’s bracket final Friday evening at 8:00 PM on Field #3. Potential opponents in that game would be Banks Co. (#1 seed Region 8-AA), Lamar Co. (#2 seed Region 5-AA), Bremen (#3 seed Region 5-AA), and Jeff Davis (#3 seed Region 2-AA). The Class AA State Championship game is scheduled for 2:00 PM Saturday afternoon on Field #1.

AT STAKE FOR THE LOSER: The loser of Heard-Harlem will still have a chance in the double elimination tournament but will face a difficult road to the title game needing to win four straight loser’s bracket games on Friday at 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM and on Saturday at 10:00 AM and Noon.

LAST YEAR: The Lady Braves advanced to Columbus and lost to Dodge County in game one and Monticello in game three while defeating Harlem in game two. Harlem advanced to Columbus and lost to Banks County and Heard County. Social Circle won the state title defeating Banks County in the Championship game.

COLORS: Lady Braves (Maroon and Gray), Bulldogs (Black and Red)

ADMISSION: $15 at the gate Thursday-Friday. $10 at the gate on Saturday. Tickets may be purchased in advance online at https://gofan.co/app/school/GHSA.

WEATHER: Mostly cloudy Skies with temperatures in the low 70’s for Thursday’s game one vs. Harlem. Rain could be a factor in tournament scheduling with a 50% chance of rain Friday-Saturday and high temperatures in the upper 60’s.