"We haven't beaten them yet so it would be nice to get that first one," North Hall coach Roger Fannon said. "The girls on both teams have been looking at this one since the schedule came out, I'm sure. It should be fun."
North Hall comes in undefeated in region play at 5-0 and 17-4 overall. Chestatee is 11-5, 4-1. Both teams are in the hunt for the top spot in the region with Pickens, which is also undefeated at 5-0.
First pitch is scheduled for 5:55 p.m. at Chestatee.
The rivalry got started before the two schools ever played.
Chestatee got most of its players and its coach from North Hall when it opened last year. But War Eagle coach Devon Thomas said it just shows that there was enough talent in northern Hall County to support two quality programs.
"A lot of girls are getting a chance to show what they can do. With only one team, some of them might not have gotten a chance to play so I think it's worked out for everyone," Thomas said.
A change in scheduling this year has the region teams only playing each other one time, making each game more important for positioning in the region tournament next month.
"This is a huge game for us," Thomas said. "With one loss already, we can't afford to fall two games back in the standings. And we still have to play Pickens. We have to find a way to win this one."
Fannon agreed.
"If we lose it puts us in a position to drop all the way to third or even fourth with the way Flowery Branch is playing. This is almost a must-win because of who it is," Fannon said.
Both teams feature explosive offenses. Chestatee is hitting .398 as a team while North Hall is hitting .380 - staggering numbers for fastpitch. The Trojans have the edge on the bases having stolen over 100 bases so far. The War Eagles have 90 steals.
Seniors Emily Romine, Cheryl Case, Erica Howser, Amber Belton and Brooke Smith lead the potent North Hall attack.
Taylor Burke, Carrie Brookshire, Brooke Puckett, Sara Applegarth and Mallory McCord lead Chestatee. The War Eagles, however, are without Amber Lee, who is rehabbing a knee injury.
Both coaches, however, say pitching will be the key. And both have two solid starters.
The Trojans have junior Haley Bower and Case while Chestatee has Puckett and Applegarth.
"Pitching is what wins in this sport and hopefully we can pitch like we have all year," Fannon said. "Whoever makes the least mistakes will win."
http://accesswdun.com/article/2003/9/172231