COLUMBUS, Ga. — Buford secured its place among the final three teams playing for a state championship Friday, defeating Lambert 7-1 before holding off North Paulding 7-6 at South Commons Softball Complex. The two wins send the Wolves into the season's final day with a 10:00 a.m. matchup against Northgate on Saturday.
Norah Cook earned both pitching victories, LG Goldin homered in each game and Mackenzie Fritsch delivered a pair of home runs against North Paulding. Buford finished the day with 14 runs and 13 stolen bases, finding enough offense to pull away in the opener and protect a narrow advantage in the second game.
Against Lambert, Cook gave the Wolves seven steady innings. She limited the Longhorns to five hits and one run, striking out two and walking one in a complete-game victory.
Goldin supplied the early support with a two-run single in the first inning. The Wolves did not score again until the sixth, when they put together a four-run inning that gave Cook room to finish. Goldin singled home a run, Lydia Hamrick brought in another on a fielder's choice and Janie Goldin added a two-run single.
LG Goldin closed her three-hit, four-RBI performance with a solo home run to left in the seventh. Brooklyn Atha also recorded multiple hits, while Hamrick and Janie Goldin each stole multiple bases as Buford finished with eight steals.
The Wolves faced a different test against North Paulding. After falling behind 1-0 in the first, Buford answered with three runs in the second. Taylor Sawyer's RBI double tied the game, and Fritsch followed with a two-run home run to center to put the Wolves ahead.
Buford stretched its lead to 5-1 in the third on an RBI single by LG Goldin and a bases-loaded walk to Hamrick. North Paulding responded with Jadyn Walker's three-run homer in the bottom half, cutting the margin to one.
Fritsch's second home run, a solo shot to left in the fourth, gave Buford a 6-4 advantage. The Wolfpack continued to close the gap, but Goldin provided another important run with her second seventh-inning solo homer of the day. Buford finished with a one-run victory, with Taylor Jackson earning the save.
Cook worked the first 3? innings against North Paulding, allowing six hits and five runs with two strikeouts and four walks. Hamrick went 3-for-3 to lead a 12-hit effort, and Atha and Goldin again finished with multiple hits. Fritsch drove in three runs with her two homers. The Wolves added five stolen bases and turned a double play.
Buford now turns to Northgate with its championship opportunity intact. First pitch is set for 10:00 a.m. Saturday in Columbus.
