Time is now for Lady Trojans

MURRAYVILLE - Roger Fannon and the North Hall girls softball team have been waiting to get to this point for more than year.

The time has arrived.

The Class AAA No. 4 Lady Trojans will play host to No. 3 Pickens County Thursday in a battle of unbeaten Region 7-AAA teams and with first place on the line.

"We've been building to this point for a while and it's a credit to how hard the girls have worked that we're now here," Fannon said. "They've been looking forward to it for a while."

Probably not until last week, really, when North Hall (20-4, 8-0) ripped rival Chestatee 9-0 on the road. It was the first-ever win for the Trojans over Chestatee, which is the defending region 7-AAA champion.

The win set up the showdown if both teams played perfect until then. Both obliged

"We felt we were good, but that gave us confidence that we can beat anyone and that we have a shot at winning the regular season," Fannon said.

Thursday's game figures to be a titanic pitcher's duel between Pickens' Whitney Propes, who has been virtually unhittable all year, and North Hall's Haley Bower, who tossed a one-hitter in the win over Chestatee.

Bower also knocked in three runs with an inside-the-park home run. She is riding a 12-game hitting streak.

"Haley has played well all year but she is really going to have to be on her game because I'm sure it's going to be tough to get anything off Propes," Fannon said.

Propes has been downright dominating most of the year tossing three no-hitters and five one-hitters. She has struck out over 200 batters. She is not unbeatable, however, suffering three losses this year - all 1-0 - as Pickens (16-5, 8-0) started slow against higher classification teams.

The Trojans are coming off a 1-0 win over White County, so playing tight games should be nothing new. Lindsey Kitchens, Emily Romine, Kristi Underwood and Cheryl Case provide a solid lineup for Fannon.

"We're going to have to scratch out an early run any way we can so that we put the pressure on them. It's going to tough, but fun. I'm excited about having the opportunity," Fannon said.