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Just one out away from a District Championship, the 10 & Under softball Thomaston-Upson All-Stars saw their dreams of a State Tournament appearance disappear, as a single off of the bat of Natalie Snow scored Anna Whitlack of the Carroll County All-Stars, stunning the T-U All-Stars by a score of 14-13 late Monday evening.

The Thomaston-Upson team jumped out to a quick start, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning. Ruby Albritton, who led the hometown girls with two hits, two runs scored and three RBI, played a big role in the game for the T-U All-Stars.

With a 3-2 lead in the top of the second inning, It was Madison Murphy and Albritton who each knocked in runs with base hits. Murphy drove in Carson Lindsey, and Albritton drove in Murphy and Kailey Barfield with a solid single, extending the lead to 6-2. The Carroll County All-Stars closed the gap in the bottom of the second, scoring twice to make it 6-4, then took the lead in the third inning, scoring three runs while adding three walks. The T-U All-Stars’ inability to throw strikes would come back to hurt them in a big way. Carroll County only mustered one hit in the inning, but scored three times to go ahead, 7-6.

In the fourth inning, the T-U All-Stars seemed to regain control of the game, scoring four runs and taking a 10-7 lead. Carson Lindsey and Julia Walden each started the inning off with singles. Both Lindsey and Walden came home to score on a single by Kailey Barfield. With an 8-7 lead, Albritton drew a walk, putting her on first and moving Barfield to second. Mackenzie Lowe, who finished the game with two hits, stepped up and blasted a triple, scoring both Albritton and Barfield, but the T-U All-Stars stranded Lowe at third base, a run which would have helped later in the contest.

In the fifth inning, the T-U squad again had trouble throwing strikes. Carroll County belted two triples in the inning, sandwiched in between two walks and two errors by the T-U All-Stars. Carroll County scored four runs in the inning, taking a 12-11 lead on the All-Stars from Thomaston-Upson.

In the top of the sixth inning, the girls from T-Town scored two runs, retaking the lead, 13-12. Albritton and Lowe again did the damage. Albritton drove in Barfield with her second hit of the game, and Lowe drove home Albritton with a double. However, Lowe was thrown out at third base trying to stretch the hit into a triple. Once again it was a mistake, a base running mistake of making the third out at third base, which would ultimately cost the T-U All-Stars in the bottom half of the inning.

Leading 13-12, the T-U AllStars gave up a single to the lead off batter in the inning, but then struck out the next two batters. Carroll County would hit back-to-back singles with two outs, scoring two runs and ending the game in a 14-13 loss for the Thomaston-Upson All-Stars.

Ruby Albritton led the way for the T-U All-Stars with two hits, two runs scored, and two RBI. Mackenzie Lowe also had a huge game with two hits, a run scored, and two RBI. Kailey Barfield added a hit, three runs scored, and two RBI, Carson Lindsey and Kollen King each had a hit and two runs scored, with King adding a RBI. Haley Ellerbee, Julia Walden, Madison Murphy, and India White also chipped in with one hit each in the game.