By Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

The Georgia Diamond Dollz are ready to make a championship run.

After going 2-1 in the first two days of the American Softball Association Girls 12-and-under “B” Fastpitch Southern National Championship, the Diamond Dollz will put their tournaments hopes on the line today.

After winning on Thursday, the Dollz went 1-1 on Friday, losing to Baytown (Tex.) 6-4 before beating Southern Force (Ala.) 11-0 later in the day.

The Dollz, a team made up of players from Troup County and Newnan, are one of eight teams hoping to hold up the championship trophy later today.

It will be a double-elimination format today, and the final two teams standing will meet at 5 p.m.

The Dollz first game of the day will be at 9 a.m., and if they win they’ll play again at 1 p.m.

If the Dollz lose their first game, they would play again at 11 a.m.

Dollz head coach Rodney Waldroup would like to see his team get off to a fast start today, but his main concern is that they end up playing at 5 p.m.

“We just want to play for the championship,” he said.

If they play like they did in Friday’s late game, they should have a great chance to do that.

They got a superb pitching performance from Shelby O’Neal and Abby Waldroup, they made all the plays in the field, and the offense came through with big hit after big hit.

It was a complete performance by a team reeling from a disappointing loss earlier in the day.

“(O’Neal) did a great job pitching, and we hit the ball this game. I was glad to see that,” Waldroup said. “Our bats came alive.”

The Dollz got the scoring started in the first inning, with O’Neal’s base hit knocking in two runs to make it a 3-0 game.

The Dollz broke it open with eight runs in the third inning.

Waldrop had a two-run double in the inning, and O’Neal ripped a ball off the base of the left-field fence to drive in two more runs.

Taylor Livingston, Mason Willard and Lauren Robinson also had RBIs in the inning.

The 11 runs was more than enough support for O’Neal, who was almost untouchable.

Southern Force did get a runner as far as third in the fourth inning, but O’Neal got a popout to end that threat.

Waldroup pitched a scoreless fifth inning to preserve the shutout, and the game ended early because of the mercy rule.

In Friday’s early game against Baytown, The Dollz fell 6-4 to the team from Texas.

“We should have won that game,” Waldroup said. “Their pitching was nothing we couldn’t handle. We just made some errors and couldn’t get back on track.”

The Dollz went up 2-0 in the first on RBI singles from O’Neal and Sarah Powell, but Baytown scored four in the bottom of the inning to take the lead.

The Dollz tied the game at 4-4 in the third inning on an RBI triple from Jenna Pealor, with O’Neal knocking in Pealor to knot the score.

Baytown scored two runs in the fifth inning, one on a balk and another on a bases-loaded walk.